


It's Called Chemistry

by randomramblesff



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, across all seasons but mainly post-s6, not really drabble drabbles tbh, prompt fics, prompts from tumblr, so much fluff like oh my gosh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:43:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 144
Words: 72,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6211255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomramblesff/pseuds/randomramblesff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles and ficlets. Prompts and simple one shots, all Jeff x Annie based, across all seasons but mainly post-Season 6. Prompts accepted via harryspaceshipmchale on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. “Please, don’t leave.”

_**Post S6 - prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140767431940)**_

“Annie, wait… I didn’t…. look just, please, don’t leave.”

Neither of them even knew what they were fighting about anymore. It had started over some tiny conversation about Jeff’s classes at Greendale and it had somehow blown out of proportion onto some other form of topic about their relationship ever since Annie had arrived back from DC.

“Jeff, I can’t deal with this right now, okay? I’ll call you later.”

He knew it was now or never. It was probably the underlying reason as to why everything was so tense. He felt like a shaken up cola bottle that was about to explode.

“Wait! …I love you… and I don’t expect you to say it back but I can’t hold back any longer. I tried, but this isn’t something that comes easy for me and I ju-.”

All of a sudden Annie’s fingers were curled around his neck and her lips were brushing an eyelash width apart from his.

“I love you too.”


	2. “Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?”

_**Post-S6  - prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140767431940)  
** _

It was late, as usual. Annie had been working tirelessly on some form of forensics paperwork from the Denver offices of the FBI and was having to work overtime to get things finished. Jeff usually stretched out on the couch in a pair of sweatpants as she typed and wrote away, a couple of random TV programs flickering on and off as he tried find something of interest.

“Ugh, my neck is _killing_ me today.” Annie mumbled from the other side of the room.

“Well then you should stop.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll have to call it a night. I’m sorry… I’m terrible aren’t I?” Annie leant over the back of her chair, raising an eyebrow as Jeff switched everything off before walking over and pulling her in for a hug. His hands slipped around her shoulders and before he knew it, she was sighing with satisfaction.

“That’s really good, please don’t stop.” Jeff chuckled before he spoke again, an idea popping into his head. _Dear lord, what have I become?_

“Do you… well… I mean… I could give you a massage?”

“A massage?”

Jeff shrugged. If being a masseur was part of the ‘boyfriend’ job, he wasn’t exactly going to complain.


	3. "I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”

_**Post-S2 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140767431940)** _

The group was at a bar and the evening was starting to fizzle out, but it didn’t really seem like it as Annie swivelled on her bar stool beside him, a giddy smile plastered across her face. Jeff shook his head and smiled… realising that her own happiness must be contagious.

“Do you want to know something?” Annie said, tilting her head as she fiddled with the straw in her hand.

“What?” Jeff tilted his own head, mirroring her posture.

“I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” He tilted his head some more, a lump forming in his throat as he clenched down on his teeth.

“What?”

“Just saying.” Annie said, before hopping off her bar stool to join the others who were ready to head out the door.

Jeff sat puzzled as he sipped back the final drop of his scotch. He jolted his head back, looking back to Annie with a confused smile on his face before shaking his head once again.

He’d once told Troy that Britta was a hurricane, but now he wasn’t sure who could do the most damage. Annie was more of a tsunami. You see her coming, you just don’t expect the impact to be as huge as it is when it hits.  


	4. “You did all of this for me?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140767431940)** _

It’s Annie’s first birthday since they’d started dating and Jeff knew he should make it count. It also marked fourth months since he’d asked her out on that all important first date, which he knew she wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. Neither was he, to be honest.

So when Annie opened up the door to his apartment and found a candle lit living room with minimalistic but still rather feminine birthday decorations scattered around, her heart swelled. He didn’t want to make a _huge_ deal of it seeing as he didn’t personally get too excited for birthdays (how could he when his next one was to ‘celebrate’ 42 years of life?) but the look on her face made him think it was just the right amount of effort. Bingo. He was definitely going to end the night on a high.

“You did this all for me?” Jeff shrugged shyly, looking to the floor, a smile creeping up on the corners of his lips.

“It’s your birthday… and I love you… so…”

Annie’s fingers slipped between his and before he knew it he was _starting_ the night on a high. Somehow he was pleasing Annie Edison in every sense of the word.


	5. “Tell me a secret.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140767431940)** _

They were curled up in bed, Annie’s cheek pressed up against the curve of his shoulder, his hand tickling the hem of her (or _his_ old) t-shirt.

“You should tell me a secret. Something you’ve never told anyone before. I’ll tell you one too.” Jeff looked down at her, her eyes staring off into the distance, landing on what he presumed was his toes poking up from under the sheets.

“A secret? What is this, middle school?” Annie swatted him with a limp hand, not going to her usual efforts because there wasn’t much point.

“No… I just think it would be nice if we told each other some things we’ve never told anyone before. It will bring us closer together.”

“Someone’s _definitely_ not being reading relationship advice columns.” Another swat came his way.

“Ugh fine, okay… err…” Jeff paused for a moment, looking back down at Annie as he stroked his thumb against her hip.

“Fine, a secret… here’s one. You ready?” She nodded. “I’ve been in love with you for a really long time and it was really hard for me to stop myself from getting too close.” Annie shuffled, looking up at him with an amused expression.

“ _That’s_ your secret? Come on! _Everyone_ knows that… you have to think of something better than that! And don’t tell me about your Indian girl story because Abed already spoiled that one for me.”

“Ugh, fine… wait, _what?!_ ”


	6. “Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?!”

_**AU S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140496337145)** _

“So what happened the other night with you and Abed?” Jeff asked, stirring around his black coffee as they sat in the corner of the nearest Starbucks to the FBI HQ in Denver, which was now Annie’s new place of work. 

“Don’t remind me… he decided to rig one of his cameras to the fire escape to get some short of surprised shot of me for his new movie, but when I started freaking out, the first line he could come up with was, _‘Do you want to go and get some ice cream?’_ ’. Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?! I love Abed and all but sometimes I wish I had my own place…” Annie sighed as Jeff chuckled, not realising what he was doing as he mumbled away.

 _“Youcouldalwaysmoveinwithme…”_ He gulped as soon as the words slipped through his mouth.

“What was that?” Annie sat up a little straighter, fidgeting in her seat to listen again.

 _“Youcouldalwaysmoveinwithme…_ ”

“What? Jeff, I can’t hear you when you mumble.”

“I said you could always move in with me! …You’re over all the time anyway so… would it really be that big of a deal?”

“Wait, you want me to move in? Seriously?” Annie’s mouth shaped itself into an ‘O’ as her eyes started to fill with what Jeff _hoped_ were happy tears. He shrugged a little before being practically flattened into the bench seat.

“I take that as a yes…?”


	7. “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. That’s the problem.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140496337145)** _

He’d been trying to get everything in place for months now. The small velvet box was starting to burn holes in his pockets and every time she remotely made his heart swell, he had to fight the urge to get down on one knee, no matter where they were. He was half tempted to get down on the ground in the grocery store one time but he knew that wasn’t exactly the grand proposal she would be expecting.

So when she had to cancel the all-important dinner date he had planned for a late night at work, he was feeling more than a little helpless.

“Do you hate me?” Annie asked over the phone, her voice sounding soft and genuine as if she really did think it was the end of the world.

“I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. That’s the problem.”


	8. “Are you ticklish?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140496337145)** _

“Jeff, stop, seriously! I’m trying to work!” Annie was still typing away as she squealed. Jeff’s hands were wrapped tightly around her waist as she sat at her desk, his scruffy beard tickling the bare curve of her neck as he whispered into her hear.

“What? I’m not doing anything.”

“You are, and you know it… and _stop_ doing that!” She wriggled some more under his embrace, his fingertips brushing underneath the hem of her blouse just enough to make her squirm.

“Why? Are you ticklish?”

“No, jus-.”

“Okay.”

Before she could even manage to protest he was swooping her out of her chair and placing her down against the bed, his hands clasped around her wrists as he draped over her.

After six years of resisting, nowadays it was pretty hard to say no.


	9. “Don’t let go.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140496337145)** _

“You’re doing so well. Just keep breathing, okay? I’m here.”

She’d been in labor for what felt like forever, the screams and gasps for air forever engrained his mind, as well as the searing pain that was shooting up his hand and through his arm as she clung on tight.

“Okay, you’re nearly there, just a couple more pushes.” Annie was breathing through it as much as she could, squinting her eyes even tighter as a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead.

“ _Jeef-ff-fff!”_

“You’re okay, just keeping going. You’re nearly there.”

“D-d-d-don’t… let… go!”

“I’m not going to, I promise.”

“Okay, just one more push and we’ll have them here with you…” The midwife called out as she crouched down to see things through.

The final hurdle involved a scream and a hand clutch that were probably enough to cause a small earthquake but if Jeff had to put his money on it, nobody would really mind so long as nobody was injured, because the _son_ that was now wrapped up against Annie’s chest was worth more than anything imaginable.


	10. “I think you might be pregnant.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[bisexualannieedison](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/138437220940)** _

Annie knew what being a dad meant to Jeff. 

It wasn’t so much the parenting bit and having a cute blend of Disney eyes and spiky hair running around… it was the fact that Jeff could have a fresh start and have someone look up to him for the right reasons for a change. There was also that part of him that wanted to prove to himself that not all dads had to be jerks and ditch their sons when they most needed them, because he had to be better than that… right? 

So it killed her a tiny bit more each time when the tests kept coming back negative. It was the tiny nod and smile and the slow brush of his hand down his face that made her feel slightly guilty that even after months, they still weren’t getting anywhere. 

They’d been given advice, they’d been to doctors and Annie was taking all sorts of vitamins but for some reason it just wasn’t working out. So whenever a slight hick-up came along, or when Jeff was certain he’d noticed a change in Annie, they’d either pick up a test straight away or hold back and keep their hopes down. 

But for some reason, this time, Jeff was _super_ certain that he’d noticed a change. For starters, Annie was getting tired more easily (and her work load was still the same)… her appetite was a little off and she was getting cranky more easily when he did just the slightest thing to irritate her. 

So he decided to bring it up one morning after breakfast. He was standing in their small kitchen, leaning a hand against the counter. 

“I think you might be pregnant.” 

Annie swung around from the dishes she was wiping up, her eyes wide and ears pinned back. 

“What?”

“We need to take a test.” The look on his face was so sure it made her jolt her neck back slightly, slowly placing the plate in her hand, down on the side. 

“Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know, I just have a feeling that maybe… this time.” Jeff gulped, his eyebrow twitching slightly. 

“Really?” 

He understood her hesitance really… not wanting to know or think about it too much in case that dreaded single line appeared. 

“Are you late?”

That’s when it clicked. Her head tilted slightly as she bit down on her bottom lip letting out a slight hum of a ‘Yes’. 

“Go!” Jeff blurted out, waving his free hand in front of her, his eyes popping out as she just stood there. 

“I don’t need to pee.”

“ _Make_ yourself pee!” She nodded rapidly before dashing off into the bathroom leaving Jeff to drum his fingers on the side. A few minutes later she came back into the room, a thin piece of plastic with a thing on the end of it in her hand. 

“Three minutes.” She said, placing the test down on the counter. Jeff’s fingers still drumming away, creating the only noise in the room.

“Will you stop that?!” Annie shrieked, making him stand up and cross his arms over.

She looked at the clock. Two minutes.  
They both counting down the seconds in there head but it wasn’t helping in making things speed up… if anything it just accentuated the fact that these three minutes of waiting felt longer than any other three minutes before.

Longer than the three minutes of monologue Annie had to endure before he’d finally asked those four all important words. Longer than the three minutes Jeff had waited at the end of the aisle for Annie to appear in her dress. Longer than the three minutes they’d waited for their first initial test. 

Annie closed her eyes and took a deep breathe before leaning forward. Jeff crouched down too, his eyes scrunching up before they opened up again, his head tilting towards Annie’s as her lips folded inwards. 

“I think you might have been right.”


	11. “Don’t panic but I think we might have accidentally gotten married…”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Loraw](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140811896870)** _

They seriously had no recollection of how it had happened. They’d woken up together, Annie’s neck nuzzled into the side of Jeff’s shoulder and then they’d both immediately shot up as soon as they’d looked down at their intertwined fingers that both had two shiny silver bands around them.

“What… the?” Jeff mumbled groggily as he perched himself on the end of the bed. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, seeing as they were both fully clothed and the sheets were still intact other than a couple of wrinkles.

“Um…” Annie squealed out a hum, gulping down as much as she could.

“I… don’t panic but… I think we might have accidentally gotten married.” Jeff blurted out, pulling a face with a raised eyebrow. She couldn’t hold it down much longer.

_“How are you not freaking out right now?! You hate marriage! We’ve never even been on a date because you’ve always denied having feelings for me… we kissed and then you ignored me all summer, you slept with Britta for a whole year then you got engaged to her, and now you’re all of a sudden OKAY WITH THIS?”_

Annie shot up, her mind fuzzing up a little as she looked over her shoulder.

“You ‘kay?” Jeff mumbled.

“Yeah… I just had a really weird dream that we accidentally got married before we’d even been on a date.”

“Hmm… well, that can’t happen because we went on the best date of our lives last night so… come back… bed.”

So she did.


	12. “How can you think I’m anything but hopelessly in love with you?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Loraw](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140818373860)** _

“Are you okay?” Annie asked as she walked along the sidewalk with Jeff, their hands clasped together, swinging in the autumn breeze that blew around them, the few already fallen leaves crunching around their feet.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Jeff…”

“Annie…” Jeff tilted his head to look at her, his sunglasses concealing his eyes that Annie knew weren’t their usual glowing self.

“Jeff… I just want to know if you’re okay because we have to talk about things now. We’re together right?” He nodded, the pace of his footsteps slowing a little.

“I just…”

“You can tell me…” Annie scrunched up her shoulders, pausing as they walked to pull his other hand into her own. He gulped.

“Do you love me?” And now she was the one gulping.

“Why are you asking me that?”

“I don’t know… I just need reassuring, that’s all.”

“Jeff, how can you think I’m anything but hopelessly in love with you?”

“Because… look at me.”

“Look at you, what? Jeff… I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I love you… just as much as you love me.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure about that.”

“What?” Annie piped up, her face contorting in an adorable manner.

“I’m always going to love you more.”


	13. “We’re repainting the apartment and going to the hardware store together to pick out color swatches.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140826503650)** _

She’s five months pregnant and everything’s going smoothly over than that _one_ thing that is driving Annie mad, and Jeff knows exactly what and why that is.

“I just… nope, I don’t like it.”   
Annie said, standing in the doorway to what was to be their nursery room. They’d decided on having the baby in their room until they were at least eight months old but she still wanted to have everything ready in case plans changed… Jeff of course was hoping that those plans would change because the idea of having a baby in their bedroom for _eight_ months was driving him insane.

“I thought it was fine? You liked the yellow colour because you were getting all wound up about it being gender neutral or whatever. You had a very strong case and I almost mistook you for Britta.” Jeff said, as he stood hovering over her, finding her bump rather amusing as it protruded from her stomach.

“Nope… we’re repainting the apartment and going to the hardware store together to pick out color swatches again. This afternoon.” Jeff leant forward some more, his eyes bulging out as she nodded to herself.

“The _whole_ apartment? This afternoon?”

She nodded again, not taking her eyes off of the wall in front of them.

“Annie come on… look, I know that you’re nesting or whatever and that you-.”

“I’m not nesting! Can’t you see… the yellow just isn’t right. It makes everything look dull… it needs to be brighter and lighter…”

“Okay, but we’re not doing the whole apartment… and I’m only saying yes so that you’ll stop fretting.”

“I’m not fretting!”

Jeff smirked, the lines around his eyes deepening in a way that he knew always charmed the pants right off her.

“Stop that!”

“What?”

“Just… stop… and err, look fine, I’m nesting! Just be quiet and let me be.” Annie was now smirking herself as she swatted at his arm, before waddling towards the kitchen.


	14. “Why the hell are you bleeding!?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140826503650)** _

He stepped inside the apartment door and kicked off his sneakers before wondering on through like he didn’t have a care in the world, like absolutely everything was fine and the throbbing pain on his forehead was just all an illusion.

“Hey.” Annie said before looking up, her face turning from relaxed to shocked within milliseconds. “Wait, what?! Why the hell are you bleeding!?” Annie pushed her laptop to the side before stepping up off of the couch, her eyes squinting as she took in Jeff’s wound.

“Err… it’s nothing, I just walked into a locker door at the gym.”

“You _walked into a locker door_ at the gym?”

“Yes, okay, don’t look at me like that, it obviously wasn’t one of my proudest moments.” Jeff said, crossing his arms over as she put on her analysing face.

“We’re going to put some ice on that and clean it all u-.”

“Annie? I’m _fine.”_

“Jeff? I’m allowed to look after you.”

“I don’t need looking after, it’s a tiny cut and a bruise.”

“Err… on your face? This is coming from mister ‘don’t touch the money maker’!”

Jeff sighed and before he knew it he was being inspected up against the kitchen counter. As Annie stretched up on her tippy toes, he found himself actually enjoying the moment even if the pressure she was applying was a little too much.

“You’d make a good nurse.”

She smiled shyly before standing back down.

“Kiss it better?” Jeff mumbled, shaking his head in embarrassment.

“Did you seriously just ask me to ki-.”

“Yeah just shut up.” Jeff said before scooping her up in his hands, the wipe in her hand flying through the air.

He got a lot more than a kiss better.


	15. “Kiss me, quick!”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140826503650)** _

They were standing at the airport as Annie prepared herself for a work trip back to DC. It felt slightly surreal that they were back outside departures as Jeff pulled out her bag from the trunk of his Lexus. It was like a way better version than deja-vu because everything had worked out okay in the end.

“I left all of the information for my flights and everything on the kitchen counter… I’ll Skype you tonight and I’ll send as many pictures as I can and… I love you.” Annie rambled on, stretching up on her tippy toes to tuck herself into Jeff’s chest.

“Okay overly organised maniac.” Jeff joked as he pressed a kiss to her hair before she pulled back and caught a look at the time on her watch.

“Oh my gosh, I’m running late!”

“Annie you have _two_ hours, that’s hardly running late.”

“Well I don’t anymore, I have one hour forty-five…” Jeff laughed, a pang of something shooting right through him at the thought that she was leaving him… for a week. He really was ridiculous.

“So… kiss me, quick!” Annie squealed before pressing her lips to his, the world blurring all around them before reality hit them in the form of a coach honking its horn.

“Okay… I’ll see you next week and then after that we can start wedding planning… finally!” Jeff nodded, finally letting go of the grip he was holding on her hand.

“Go on then…”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	16. "The three seconds rule doesn’t apply to sticky foods.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140851760285)** _

They were in the corner of a restaurant in Denver which they visited every now and again on the weekends because they offered baby friendly food at affordable prices (if not for free) and it meant that they could catch up as a family after a week of working (well, stay-at-home parenting for Jeff) but still make a day and nice lunchtime out of it. It was the little things that they were starting to appreciate, even the moments which weren’t so glamorous.

“Ew, Jeff, don’t feed him that.” Annie squirmed, tapping the back of Jeff’s hand that was holding a piece of sticky peach out for Sebastian.

“What, why?”

“Err… because he just dropped it and you don’t know what germs are on that chair.” Jeff rolled his eyes before placing the stray piece of fruit down on a napkin.

“You do realise there’s such a thing as the three second rule, right?”

“The three seconds rule doesn’t apply to sticky foods.” Annie argued, making Jeff sigh with a slight smile in his face.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m sorry I like to protect our baby from viruses and germs.”

“And I’m sorry for not wanting to waste food.” Jeff winked.


	17. “You better have a good reason for waking me up at the ass-crack of dawn.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140851760285)** _

“You better have a good reason for waking me up at the ass-crack of dawn.” Jeff mumbled groggily over the phone as he lay in bed, the room still dark, emphasising the emptiness it felt now that he’d gotten used to Annie’s visits.

“Do you remember when I told you I had that really early morning interview coming up in Denver, the other day? Well, I just started up my car to leave for it, but it won’t start. I’ve tried everything and I’m _really_ freaking out because I don’t want to be late!”

“Ugh… the thing is I can imagine your face right now and I know I can’t escape coming to help you…”

“Please?” Annie pleaded, her tone dropping to a softer one that Jeff instantly recognised from all the other hundreds of times she’d roped him into helping out before.

“Ugh… give me five minutes, okay? This way too early.”

 _“Thank you…”_ Annie replied in a sing-song voice.

“I better have a reward for this.”

“I’ll think of something…”

“You better.”

“I will.”

“I look forward to it.”

“So do I.”

“Oh do you now?”

“I do.”

“This is meant to be my reward remember…”

“I know; I’ll just enjoy rewarding you.”


	18. “What do you mean he’s escaped?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[CeleryLapel](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140869134925)** _

“Okay so… so low down a second, hang on… what do you mean he’s _escaped?_ ” Jeff asked over the phone, trying to keep his cool inside of his office as he paced around the room, his phone tightly pressed up against his ear so he could hear every single syllable and word of what Annie was saying as she paced around on her end.

“I just… I don’t know, I guess I must have left the door open for a second and then I guess he slipped out and I swear Jeff, I’ve tried everything… I’ve called, whistled, everything. I asked next door and they said they’d let me know if they see anything but I’m really panicking right now! Can you please come home?”

 _It’s her day off, she really doesn’t need this,_ is all Jeff could think… oh and the fact that apparently they’d lost their new dog too.

“I’m coming, right now, I promise.”

* * *

“What the hell is this?!” Jeff barked out as he stepped inside the door, seeing a toddling Sebastian and perfectly happy little Labrador puppy bouncing around by his feet.

“Surprise?!” Annie squealed, pulling Jeff in for a hug that was able to steady him.

“You made me freak out thinking you’d lost the dog to throw a _birthday_ surprise on me? Annie, I told you not to do anything especially seeing as I’m at wor-.” His rambling monologue was soon cut short by a rather passionate kiss… Annie’s hands cupping his cheeks and jaw to emphasis the point that yeah, he should really just shut up and enjoy the fact that Annie of all people had got him a birthday off work with a legitimately sounding excuse.

“Next time can you surprise me _without_ almost causing me a heart attack? Pretty sure I jumped a few red lights on the way.”

“Jeff! And okay but… did you really think I’d lost him?”

“I… he’s a puppy!” Jeff shrieked before crouching down and cuddling the little ball of fluff up into his arms.

“Daddy, can I have a cuddle?” Sebastian cooed. It was pretty hard to resist when he had the eyes of mother… but he was a dad and a dog owner; he was allowed to get soppy now and then. Oh, and that cake? It was his birthday; he was going to enjoy it whilst he could.


	19. “I can’t stop thinking about your hands on me.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[CeleryLapel](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140869134925)** _

“Do you remember when you gave me that massage? Yeah, I could really do with another one of those.” Annie said, rubbing her neck as they sat in the corner of a little Parisian themed cafe together.

“You need to stop working so hard, you’re going to break, Miss Workaholic.” Jeff teased before taking a sip of his black coffee.

“Ah… I can’t stop thinking about your hands on me.” Annie sighed dreamily, continuing to rub her neck. Jeff almost spilt his drink down him as he spluttered on her words.

“Annie… I mean, me neither but…” Jeff looked towards the elderly couple who were sat to the side, sending them very judgemental looks. Annie paused, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

“What?”

Jeff craned his neck forward, now pulling his own confused face before gesturing with his hand.

“Oh… _oh god,_ no, I didn’t mean it like that! I just… it’s been a really long week.” Annie sheepishly looked over to the couple who were now looking away, continuing with their own conversation which to Jeff, just sounded like stock granny talk – it consisted of floral drapes and great-grandchildren.

“Yeah well, you know what else is really long…”

Annie still couldn’t get the coffee stain out of her blouse three weeks later, and Jeff still had nightmares of the death stare the elderly lady had shot his way.

“She was the one who thought it!”


	20. "IT'S NOT COMING OFF!"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[bumblebeeslies](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140873151705)** _

It was Halloween and of course, seeing as it was their first Halloween as a couple, Annie had somehow dragged him into doing a costume (her persuasion was the fact that he’d once asked her to couple up even when they weren’t dating – he’d argued back that that was a gas induced decision but of course eyelashes had been fluttered so he was loser at the first hurdle) which was made up off a few scraggy pieces of fabric and a whole lot of paint.

It was nearly midnight when Jeff arrived back at his apartment, looking at himself in the mirror, not even recognising the green giant in front of him. He stepped into the shower and washed himself off, kicking himself as he stood in green soapy bubbles… knowing that he was going to have to scrub off the tiles in the morning… and learn not to succumb to Annie so easily.

As he stepped back out, his face was still looking a little bit like the Hulk (he’d rather compare himself to a muscular giant than to a green, large fore headed monster, even if it was Halloween), so he scrubbed a little harder until he was very close to punching a whole through the wall.

“Annie, I swear to you this stuff… IT’S NOT COMING OFF!” Jeff shrieked a little louder than he’d been expecting to over the phone, making Annie jump back from where she was sat on the other end.

“Jeff… have you may be tried more than just a little soap and water?”

“Yeah… and I’m wasting good amounts of my facial scrub. What did you put on me?!”

“You need more than _facial scrub_ Jeff… look under the sink, I left some make-up remover in the cabinet when I was last over.”

A few minutes later, after listening to the sound of water splashing and huffs and puffs from Jeff, Annie finally got a response to her advice.

“What would I ever do without you? …actually, scrap that. If you weren’t around, I wouldn’t have to go through green body paint induced trauma.”

“Oh don’t be such a big baby. You _totally_ got a kick out of wearing hardly any clothes… you should thank me really. I’m perfectly fine with the whole of Greendale ogling your body.”

“You make a great point.”


	21. "Be my wife."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[bumblebeeslies](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140873151705)** _

He’d had the whole thing scripted for a while now. He’d bend down on one knee outside of the restaurant that they visited on their first date, underneath a star lit sky and she’d have tears in her eyes and it would all be perfect and dreamy and she’d forever be in love with him for being the perfect fiancé ya-da-ya-da-ya-da, etc-etc-etc.

What he hadn’t thought about, was how impatient he was and how everything Annie did was yet another reminder as to why he wanted to do it. So when he bent down on one knee in their living room, wearing his comfiest loungewear as Annie stood before him in her nightgown, he just had to wave all of those plans out of the way, because really none of that mattered. 

What really mattered, was just getting it over and done with because he _really_ wanted to marry Annie freaking Edison, even if he was known for having a marital fear or whatever.

“I was going to do this the right way and I was going to wait for some special occasion but I don’t think I can wait any longer. You’ve no idea how hard I’ve been trying to keep this a surprise, but honestly, it’s one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make in a long while.

I love you, and even if it sounds crazy coming from me… I want to settle down. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want all of it. Be my wife. Marry me, whatever. Just _please_ say yes.”

He didn’t care how desperate he sounded, because who _wouldn’t_ be in his situation? He had nothing stopping him from tying the knot with one of the most beautiful, most intelligent women in the world.

“Yeah… yes, of course.”


	22. “I know your aim sucks, but you’ve hit my head one too many times for it to be a coincidence.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[zacscottysnl](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140903163675)** _

“Hey!” Jeff shrieked as a small squishy ball came his way. He threw it back to the corner of the room where it was coming from only to be hit once again right in the centre of his face. A giggle came from the perpetrator.

“I know your aim sucks, but you’ve hit my head one too many times for it to be a coincidence.” Jeff moaned as he chucked it back once again.

“I think maybe because of your height he keeps mistaking you for a basketball hoop.” Annie called out from the kitchen where she was getting on with some domestic household chore.

“Right, okay, that’s it.” Jeff shot up from the couch to grab Sebastian, holding the ball in his own hand so that he could take control of the weapon.

“Hey!” Annie spun round, glaring at the two of them before dropping her gaze to her one-year-old son who was tucked up around his dad’s shoulder.

“I’ll be finished soon.” Annie said before giving Jeff a kiss on the lips. It was times like these that they embraced the most, because after everything, they were finally fine.


	23. “As if I could ever live up to the looks he gives you.”

_**Post-Paradigms of Human Memory S2 - Prompted by[zacscottysnl](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140903163675)** _

“So… how are things with Jeff?” Annie mumbled into her text book as her and Britta sat at the study room table alone, awaiting the arrival of the others.

“What do you mean?” Britta eyed her suspiciously.

“Oh… I just, I mean, none of us want to get in the way of whatever you were doing… I just wondered how things were.”

“Annie, how do I put this… that was a one-time, several times thing. It hardly had any meaning in it whatsoever… when it comes to Jeff and sex… it’s like…” Britta paused to come up with something that made sense before her train of thought was cut off short.

“Britta? I don’t really need an analogy.”

“Okay fine, but what I’m trying to say is… currently, there’s more chance of you getting together with Jeff than there _ever_ was with me.” Annie finally looked up from her textbook.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know… Jeff… likes you. As if I could ever look up to the looks he gives you.” Britta said before looking over her left shoulder.

“Speak of the devil.”

“Ladies.” Jeff said, before pulling out his chair, tilting it slightly in Annie’s direction before sending her small smile.

He always tilted his chair, and a smile was nothing new… but when Annie looked up from her textbook a few moments later, she had to ask herself if it was normal for him to _still_ be gazing in her direction. There were plenty of other things to spend his time looking at, after all.


	24. “If I ever see you anywhere near her, you’ll have to deal with me!”

_**Post-Geothermal Escapism S5 - Prompted by[Loraw](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140903600140)** _

Annie walked back over to the bar where Jeff was sitting. The rest of the group were milling around the pool table where Abed was playing around, so they hadn’t noticed Annie sitting back down in a form of distress.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jeff asked as she perched next to him, her cheeks a little rosier than usual.

“Yeah… yeah… just some guy being weird over there.” Annie nodded in the direction of some couches which were in the direction of the bathroom.

“Which guy? What did he do?” Jeff asked, trying his best to keep cool as he scoured the room.

“Jeff, it’s fine… I’m fine.”

“Which guy?” He asked again, avoiding Annie’s eyes.

“Jeff, seri-.”

“ _Which_ guy?” Annie sighed, remembering that this was just over-protective Jeff after all.

“The one in the blue cap.” Annie looked over her shoulder and before she knew it, she wasn’t just looking at a group of half drunken guys, she was now looking at a group of half drunken guys and Jeff.

“Hey, baseball cap.” Jeff called out. _Oh god,_ is all Annie could think as she slumped her face down onto the sticky surface of the bar.

“What do you want dude?” The guy called back, raising his glass at the same time.

“If I ever see you anywhere near her, you’ll have to deal with me! Got that?” Jeff barked back, gesturing towards Annie, keeping his face stern as he pointed a finger.

The guy looked over to his friends and laughed under his breath before turning his back on Jeff, who was stood still. Annie dared to take a peak back in his direction, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw Jeff still standing upright. She sat back up as Jeff walked over, looking to the floor.

“Jeff, you really didn’t have t-.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Jeff mumbled, still looking to the floor as he turned around and pushed out the bar door.

No matter how hard she tried to subdue it, that burning sensation within her was back again and it had nothing to do with the small drop of alcohol she had so far consumed.


	25. “Quit asking how I got stuck up here and just catch me.”

_**S1 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140904988915)** _

“How the hell did you get stuck up there?!” Jeff asked as he stood beneath a tree in the quad, his hands on his hips as he assessed the situation.

“Quit asking how I got stuck up here and just catch me.” Annie called down, holding on for dear life as she balanced on a branch.

“If you can get up there, you can get down on your own.”

“Yeah well… I may have had a little help getting up here… and my legs are too short so if I try and get down I’ll probably slip and break a leg or something.”

“Who helped you? And did you just _admit_ to being short?”

“Vaughn… and Jeff, seriously this is not the time, please can you just help me?”

“Ugh, look, fine, I’m going to stand here and you’re just gone ease yourself down. Okay?” Jeff stood beneath the branch, trying his best not to look too far up seeing as Annie was of course wearing her usual uniform of a tight sweater and skirt.

“Okay… 3… 2… 1…” Annie hopped and slid down into Jeff’s arms, his hands sliding down her sides as she finally lowered herself to the ground, trying not to think too much about how he was looking at her, his hands around her waist.

“He’s a _terrible_ boyfriend if he just lets you get stuck up trees on your own.”

“Shut up.” Annie said before pushing away to gaze up at the banner that she’d been attempting to tie up. It was a little lopsided, but it would do.

“Have a good day, _little_ person.” Jeff sniggered as we walked on by, smiling to himself.


	26. “Just pick a damn name, okay?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140904988915)** _

They’d been thinking of names for felt like weeks on end now. They weren’t finding out the gender of the baby so they were picking our two which would fit nicely. Annie had ruled out any girl names that ended with ‘a’ due to the fact that they didn’t match up with ‘Winger’ very nicely, but for boys names it was slightly easier and that was driving Jeff insane because he just wanted her to pick one. He’d be fine with anything at this rate… _okay, so maybe not anything._

“Annie, come on, just pick a damn name, okay?” Jeff blurted out as they sat in bed, a list of names neatly written up in Annie’s curly handwriting.

“What’s got you so grumpy?” Annie prodded him with the end of her pen, making him jolt slightly.

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Are you _sure…?”_ Jeff glanced at her before giving in.

“I have a name.” He admitted.

“Oh, well, you should have said it! Don’t get mad at me… what is it?”

“… _Sebastian.”_ Jeff mumbled.

“What?”

“Sebastian.” Jeff said clearer, feeling like a ton of bricks had just been lifted from his shoulders.

“Sebastian Winger… Sebastian Winger… Sebastian Wing… oh, Jeff! That’s perfect! Why didn’t you just tell me?! I love it!” Annie said before circling Jeff with a rather awkward hug (the awkwardness coming from the size of the bump that was now on her, making any form of intimacy a little tricky).

“You do?” Jeff laughed out shakily.

“Yeah! I do, I love it.”

Jeff smiled to himself.   
She had no idea.


	27. “Delete that immediately.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140904988915)** _

Annie was stood in front of the mirror, her wet hair tied up in a bun as she stood out of her towel, a pool of white fabric dropping to her feet. Jeff sat up in bed gazing at her, before quietly reaching out to grab her phone. She was going away the next day, he deserved a little reminder for the week she was going to be missing from the bedroom, right? He slyly held his phone up to his face, acting as if he was just scrolling through casually before clicking the button.

He’d been certain it was on mute, but by the death stare she was now sending him, it turned out he was wrong.

“Jeff! What are you doing?” Annie squeaked, turning around so he had an even better view.

“Nothing.”

“Err, I’m pretty sure I just heard your phone take a picture so unless you were taking a picture of yourself… which actually I wouldn’t be that surprised by… I’m pretty sure there’s a…. _nude_ … picture of me on there!” Annie tilted her head before wrapping the towel around her again, lunging across the bed to grab his phone.

“Hey!”

“Hey, what? I have to delete that immediately.”

“What? No, it’s fine, nobody else is gonna’ see and I’m _certain_ there are some much juicier pictures of myself on your phone.”

“Not true!”

“Oh really?” Jeff grabbed her phone from the side, typing in the code, before swiping to the gallery, finding a picture in the speed of light.

“HA!”


	28. “Then teach me dammit!”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140904988915)** _

“Can I play?” Annie asked as she sat down beside Jeff on the couch. He was so engrossed in his video game that he hardly even noticed her presence.

“Hello…?” Annie waved a hand in his face which was soon whacked away.

“I know you’re there, I just need to finish this level… and sure, you can play.” Annie smiled at that, sitting for a few minutes before Jeff fist pumped the air before grabbing a second controller for her to use.

“Just press the buttons and then… yeah, okay, let’s go.” Jeff jumped right in, and within seconds the game was already up.

“What the hell? Why didn’t you move?” Jeff shrieked.

“Err… because you never told me which buttons are which? I may be smart but I’m not _that_ clever!” Jeff sighed before turning to face her fully.

“Fine, well, then you’re probably going to need to learn.”

“Then teach me dammit!” Jeff jumped back slightly at her sudden enthusiasm for the game.

“WOAH! Why are you getting so touchy?”

“Because you are! You didn’t even give me a chance!”

“Yeah because I want to get on to the next level. Your controller’s not even turned on!”

“Wait, what?!” Jeff sniggered.

“HUH! You… you… err! Hey wait a second… that means you were the one losing! So it’s not my fault! Err… I hate you.” Annie swatted at his chest as he carried on grinning, finally turning on her controller and teaching her the full controls. It turns out she was pretty good anyway.

“Oh and by the way, you don’t hate me. Pretty sure you told me you loved me earlier, so you know…”


	29. "Can you stop playing connect the dots with my freckles?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140905582565)** _

Annie was calmly tracing along Jeff’s arm as they lay side by side in her room, the sheets tucked up over her chest as the portion covering Jeff’s dropped down around his waist. He hardly fit on the mattress but she found it amusing and her finding it amusing, amused him, so he let it slide, even if it meant his feet were sticking out over the edge. 

“I know you love my arms, because you know… they’re huge and all, but you can you stop playing connect the dots with my freckles?” Jeff said, moving his arm up and around so his hand was comfortably cupping the back of his head. 

“They’re not really freckles… more tiny moles.”

“Oh great, that makes it _so_ much better.” Jeff grinned sarcastically at her, before turning his smile in to a genuine one as she moved her fingers from his arms to his chest. 

“I like spending time with you and if part of that is me finding shapes on your arm then you’re going to have to put up with it, buddy.” Annie tapped a finger on his stomach as he shuffled closer to her. 

“Whatever.” He mumbled against her hairline, pressing a kiss there. 

“You secretly like it because it’s actually kind of relaxing.”

“Yeah well I can think of a lot more things that can be relaxing whilst you’re in bed.” Jeff teased. 

“UGH! Shut up!” Britta moaned from the living room as she walked through, hearing the dregs of their conversation through the door. 

“Britta, pay your rent!” Jeff called out.

 _“No… Jeff, she actually is paying it… so…”_ Annie whispered, tapping his stomach once again.

“Yeah, maybe she’s right. I’ll shut up now.”


	30. "You know, it’s okay to cry.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by[Anonymous](http://tdp-random.tumblr.com/post/140905582565)** _

“How are you _not_ crying?” Annie laughed as she wiped away her tears, looking down at the pregnancy test that was glaring back up at them.

“I don’t need to cry.” Jeff pulled her in for a hug, resting his chin on the crown of her head.

“Yeah but you know it’s okay to cry, right?” Annie asked, letting go of a sob into Jeff’s t-shirt. 

“Yeah but I don’t _need_ to cry.”

“Does that mean you’re not excited?” Annie stood back to look up at him. 

“No… of course I am, it’s really big news… I just…”

“But your eyes are watering! I can see they are!” Annie reached up to stroke his cheek as he looked away with a shy smile, clenching down on his teeth. 

“You’re going to be a dad.” Annie said, her eyebrows twisting up as she spoke. 

“Yeah…” Jeff breathed out shakily. 

Annie was the one to wipe away the stray tear that fell down his cheek as the realisation hit home. 

_He was going to be a dad._


	31. "Tell me what you want."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

They’d been dating for a good few years now so all of Jeff’s thoughts were mainly taken up with the idea of getting engaged. Everything that happened somehow became even more of a reason to think about bending down on one knee, even if he always said he’d never do it. His argument was, he said he’d never get married, but he never said he’d never get married to _Annie._ There was a difference… because there was nobody else in the world that he’d rather spend the rest of his life with.

So even small things were making him think about it. Like the way sometimes Annie would be in the bath and he’d just sit on the floor at the other end, and they’d just talk about anything and everything. Or they’d order food because whilst they chatted, Jeff would usually end up burning at least _one_ thing he’d already put in the oven.

“Tell me what you want.” Jeff asked as Annie resurfaced, her hair sleek back around her face as she sat back up.

“Can you get some of those chicken noodles?” She didn’t even need to elaborate these days, as he scrolled down the menu on his phone, selecting exactly what she was talking about.

“I’ll only get some of those duck wraps if you _promise_ to share them with me this time.”

“You can just eat them for lunch if I don’t.”

Jeff tilted his head.

“You have to _promise.”_ Annie rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Just don’t order too much rice like you always do.”

Jeff was getting up now, about to leave her alone in her bubbly abyss to go and find his credit card.

“You can just eat it for lunch if I do.” He smirked as she looked up at him, her eyes wide and sparkling in the light.

“I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her damp skin before leaving her alone, the door still open for him to hear her humming as she finished up.

He glanced over at the bathroom door from their bedroom and all he could think was….

_I really want to marry you._


	32. “I don’t know whether to slap you over the head or give you a hug.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

“I quit.”

“What?”

“Today… I quit.” Jeff was standing in the living room, his coat still on, his hands on his hips.

“You… quit?”

“Yeah. I did it.”

“Wait, what?”

“I quit. I’m not teaching at Greendale anymore.”

Annie was standing now too. He couldn’t quite read her expression; it was a mix of fear and uncertainty, but there may have just been a tiny bit of excitement blended in too.

“I don’t know whether to slap you over the head or give you a hug.”

He was pulling a confused face of his own now, his lips parted as she came closer.

“Why… why would you want to slap me over the head? You know I’ve been thinking about it.”

“I know… I know, and that’s why I want to give you a hug, I just… I would have liked to have known beforehand… you know, so we can budget now that you’re… _unemployed._ ” Annie gritted her teeth as she said it, looking up at Jeff as she did finally give him a hug, his lips closing back up again.

“Yeah, I know, but… it just felt right… like I _had_ to do it today or I never would.”

“Aw.”

“We’ll figure it out, it’ll be fine… plus… in three months’ time, you’re gonna’ be off work too.” Jeff placed a hand on her growing bump that was awkwardly positioned between them.

“And you never know… a promotion might be right around the corner…” Annie squealed a little at the thought.

“Exactly. It’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine.”

“Does this mean I get to start singing…” Annie pulled out of their embrace and Jeff knew what was coming. He put a finger to his lips to try and stop her.

“Jeff Winger… hero at law!”

“Nope. Stop.”

“Best lawyer you ever saw…”


	33. "I've never done this before."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

Ever since Annie had arrived back in Colorado, things had just shifted naturally. They kissed at the airport, she’d stayed over that night (although they both made a decision that they shouldn’t rush into things – _they ended up cuddled under his sheets, with Annie in one of his old Greendale hoodies_ ) and they’d spent the next couple of weeks joined at the hip. Nobody really said or asked anything, other than Britta who asked when Jeff was thinking of taking her on a proper date (she’d made it very clear that Annie could of course take _Jeff_ on the date if she wished).

He’d been planning it ever since she’d _left_ for DC, but there was that one part (the part they’d decided not to rush into) that he hadn’t planned, because there was no way of doing so, really.

They were at his apartment and honestly he would have been fine with just spooning again with an added dosage of making out but it was obvious that probably wasn’t the outcome Annie was expecting. They were stood just outside his room, Annie’s back to his open door, her fingers walking up his chest, heading in the direction of his top button.

He leant forward and pressed a kiss under her ear, pulling her in close around her waist. As she reached his second button though, she stopped and looked up at him. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his heart pounding where her hands rested.

“Jeff…?” He kissed her again, his fingers trembling up towards the zip at the back of her dress.

“Jeff…”

“Jeff, look at me.” She brushed a finger along his jaw as he searched her face, his eyes dropping to her lips and back up again.

“We don’t have to…” He swallowed, before sliding a hand free from her to brush it over his face.

“Sorry… no, I… I really want to… you have no idea… I just… I’ve never done this before.”

Annie immediately squinted in confusion.

“Erm… pretty sure you have, buddy.”

“No… not…”

And that’s when it hit him. He had to tell her. It was different.

“I don’t want to say this just because of… y’know…” He closed his eyes for a second, licking his lips slightly as he prepared himself.

“I…” He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head at the fact he couldn’t get out three words that had been going around his mind for _months,_ even a _year_ at this rate.

“I... I love you.” He searched her eyes that were softening and all of a sudden he was receiving a soft and slow kiss, her hands reaching up around his neck.

“I love you too.”


	34. “Being with you physically hurts me.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

They were cuddled up in bed, with only the sheets to separate them, their skin still damp from the events of a few moments before. If there was one thing Jeff was enjoying about Annie being pregnant, it was the fact that sometimes she was just extra excited and wouldn’t let him get on with anything else unless she got what she wanted. It wasn’t so bad… those other things could wait.

Jeff was watching her, his lips parted as he trailed his eyes down her, following the curves of her body, including the new curve that was slowly growing. It had taken them eight months to get pregnant but every stress and doctor’s appointment had been worth it, because now they were expecting a baby that was doing perfectly. (Annie had taken to calling ‘the Peach’ due to its current size.)

A couple of movements had started to happen so as Jeff glanced over, he saw a little kick and they both just smiled at one and other before Jeff shifted and lowered himself over her bump.

“I love you…” He kissed where ‘the Peach’ was kicking before peppering kisses higher and higher before his lips met with Annie’s.

“…and I love you.” He kissed her nose before resting his head just above her bump. Annie circled her finger across his stubbly jaw and smiled.

“Being with you physically hurts me.”

Jeff squinted.

“Sometimes you’re just too perfect that it physically pains me… and also sometimes you’re just genuinely hurting me because my _pregnant_ body can’t handle the weight of a six foot four giant laying across me.”

Jeff tilted his head before sitting up again to face her.

“You’re only saying I’m perfect because I just drove you crazy in bed.”

Annie’s fingers were still stroking lightly at his jaw.

“Nope… although that’s totally part of it.”


	35. “You’d do that for me?” “I’d do anything for you."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

“Hey… so you know I have that really big meeting on Friday?”

“Mhhmm.”

“Well… I kind of forgot we’re going to my mom’s in the evening, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to run late…”

Annie paused on her laundry folding to tilt her head.

“You forgot? We’re staying the _whole_ weekend _._ I put it in your calendar… it’s on the fridge!”

Jeff pulled a face with gritted teeth.

“Yeah well I can’t miss the meeting.”

“So I have to go alone?”

“Well… I’ll join you on Saturday or early in the morning.” He was still gritting his teeth, preparing himself for her reaction.

“You want me to go alone on Friday?”

“You’d do that for me?”

She rolled her eyes as he circled his hands around her waist, kissing her on the neck.

“I’d do anything for you and you know that but you _have_ to tell your mom.”

 “Nuh-uh. She’ll just go on at me at how perfect you are and what a great time you’re going to have without me.”

“You have to tell her.”

“I’m not telling her.”

“Well do you want to know how you can make up for not telling her?” Annie spun around on her feet, holding a pile of neatly folded clothes in her hand.

“Ugh. I hate you.”

“Love you too!”

 


	36. "I'm not a good person."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265)) - Sequel to [“I don’t know whether to slap you over the head or give you a hug.”](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6211255/chapters/15326062)** _

“I’m never going to get a job am I?”

“Jeff…”

“No, don’t say Jeff, because saying Jeff just means you’re going to tell me I’m a good person and that I can do this and someone will find me and be all ‘you’re great, let’s hire you’, but it doesn’t work like that because I lied. All I do… is lie. I screwed up my whole life and everything I ever wanted because I _lied._ ”

He hadn’t been meaning to say so much as they sat on a park bench near to their apartment. Autumn was slowly rolling in as a few dried leaves scattered around by their feet.

“You didn’t lie to me…” Annie attempted to console him as he sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Even that’s not true. I didn’t tell you I loved you even when I knew.”

“That’s not really _lying._ ”

“I almost lost you. Then I seriously would have screwed up my whole life.”

Annie sat and watched him for a while, his face was contorting as he mulled over everything that was going on.

“I know this whole past year has been really tough but you’ve _got_ to stop being so hard on yourself.”

“I’m not a good person.” He was hardly listening to her as he blurted out an incorrect fact.

“Jeff, stop. That’s not true… and I’m not just saying it to make you feel better, because if I was then _I’d_ be lying. You _are_ a good person… and I know this might not be the whole reason as to why you’re so stressed right now but…” Annie paused to look down at her bump.

“…it’s going to be fine. You’re going to be a great dad.”

Jeff looked down at the ground before closing his eyes. It took him a few moments to compose himself before he sat back up, his hands clasped tightly together.

“And… you didn’t lie to me. You let me go… that’s called being selfless… _that’s_ what makes you a good person.”

 


	37. “Do you even know what time it is right now?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

She was calling him at midnight, which was fine, but when there was a two-hour time difference between Greendale and DC, that left Jeff a bit confused as to why he’d be receiving a call from her at two o’clock in the morning.

He picked up his phone and pressed the ‘Accept’ button before sitting up in bed, ready to hear what she had to say… _hoping_ it wasn’t an emergency.

“Heyyy Jeffrey.”

“Err… hey.”

“Miss youuu.”

Jeff jolted his head back with a smirk of a smile, tilting his head as he realised what was happening. He could hear a few screeching voices in the background.

“Do you even know what time it is right now?”

“Leeeanne, what’s the time?” She called out, to a ‘Leanne’ which Jeff presumed was a friend from her internship.

“She says it’s two. How are you? Ooh, that rhymes!” She giggled over the phone and made him smile some more. Seeing as it didn’t seem she’d be ending the call anytime soon (unless she accidentally did with drunk clumsiness), Jeff grabbed his laptop and quickly opened up the webcam so he could make a recording of the rest of the phone call. He was most definitely saving it in case she said anything of interest.

“I’m fine. How are you?”

“Gooood. You know the other night when you texted me?”

“I text you every night… care to elaborate?”

“You know… the other night, when you said those things.”

“That’s what texting is Annie, you say _things._ ”

“You’re funny.” Her voice was higher than usual, perhaps even a little flirtatious. He imagined her twirling a strand of hair in her finger whilst sipping on whatever colourful concoction she probably had in hand.

“Still don’t know what text message you’re talking about.”

“The other night… when you said you wanted me.” Jeff’s eyes immediately widened as he swallowed down a gulp. That had in fact happened… they’d somehow ended up flirting for a couple of hours but at some point it had ended up being more than just flirting. He didn’t really want to put a definition on it, but some would probably class it as ‘sexting’ if he was being honest.

He still had the texts on his phone, and he may have reread them a couple of times, especially the other night when he was bored and his laptop was out of battery and his charger was in the living room. He may have made use of what she’d said.

He really hoped she couldn’t hear his breathing over the phone, but by the sounds on the other end he doubted that was possible.

“I just wanted to say that… I wan… what? It’s Jeff… yeah, him… no, we’re not dating… well, yeah, duh… of course I want t-.”

Jeff’s smirk was back but soon changed to a slightly disappointed chat as the call got cut off.

_I just wanted to say that I wan…_

It took Jeff a couple of hours to finally drift off to sleep, Annie’s unfinished sentence echoing in his mind.


	38. "You'll fall in love again."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

When Jeff thought about it, it felt like payback. He’d let her go all that time ago so she could go out and do what she wanted, but then when she finally started doing _exactly_ what she wanted, it all just blew up in his face. She was spending more time on her work than she was with them and he felt betrayed.

It was a surprise when it happened though. He didn’t think she was actually being serious when she’d told him to get out and not come back. She’d told him that it’s what he’d asked for, that he never believed in marriage lasting anyway and that they’d only be doing it for Sebastian if they kept doing what they were doing.

He’d just stood there and waited but she’d just pushed him to leave again. He’d left her the car, he’d left her the house and now he was just stuck with a one room apartment that was only filled with Sebastian’s toys for when he visited every other week.

They have to see each other when they drop him off but she barely even looks him in the eye. She knows the reason everything is wrong is because of her but she just pushes it back on him. He tried not to drink himself into oblivion for the first few weeks, but it was useless because most of the time he was just alone and had nothing better to do.

Sebastian didn’t have a clue what was going on, he just thinks they have two houses now. He doesn’t even question why he never sees them together anymore.

“You’ll fall in love again Jeffrey.” is what his mom had said when she’d found out the news.

But he couldn’t believe what she was saying, because if he was ever going to fall in love again, he’d want it to be with _her._


	39. "Put some clothes on!"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

Jeff was laying on the bed with Sebastian, who was sat upright cuddling one of his stuffed toys that he’d received for his third birthday. He was babbling away about nonsense (specifically a dinosaur that he ‘saw at nursery’).

The shower stopped in the bathroom, signalling that Annie was finished up. The bathroom door swung open and Jeff’s face widened with a ridiculous grin.

“I think you might need to put some clothes on!” He flicked his eyes from him to Sebastian who was turned to face his mom who only had a towel around her hair. Jeff tried to distract him whilst gazing up and down Annie from the corner of his eye. He unintentionally licked his lips as she turned around, the door clicking close as Annie composed herself from her little slip up.

“Yeah, you’re not meant to see that.” Jeff spoke to Sebastian, fiddling with the ear of his rabbit toy.

Sebastian shook his head, his soft blonde hair fluttering as he moved.


	40. "I really don't need your criticism right now."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

“Hey honey, are you able to talk right now?” Jeff asked over the phone, Sebastian clinging on his leg as he spoke.

“I have a five-minute break, that’s all. Is everything okay?”

Annie was away in DC for a work trip so today’s events possibly couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

“Erm… yeah, everything’s _okay,_ although I may have lost Sebastian’s blanket…”

Annie put a hand to her head as he finished talking, sighing at the fact.

“You lost it?”

“I really don’t need your criticism right now; I just need to know what you think I should do.”

“I’m not giving you any criticism but how did you _do that?_ Is he okay? Oh my gosh.”

“Calm down… he doesn’t really know yet… he’s ready for his nap but…”

“He can’t sleep without it.”

“Exactly.”

“Oh my gosh… where do you think you lost it?”

“I think when we were out this morning… I rang the coffee shop and they said they didn’t have it, we walked back to the park and it wasn’t there.”

“Oh god… okay well there’s his spare one in his wardrobe but I’d be surprised if he takes it. If he doesn’t, just cuddle it or whatever, just reassure him it’s fine.”

“I know… okay, I’m really sorry… wait, Sebastian… oh…” Jeff looked down to see Sebastian chewing on the edge of his blanket that was so-say lost.

“…he found it. Our kid’s a genius.”

“You didn’t look hard enough, oh my gosh! Now I _am_ going to criticise you… or I would, if I didn’t have to go back to work.”

“Good you have work then.”

“Miss you.”

“Miss you too.”

“Good luck with nap time.”

“Thanks.”

“Love you.”

“I love _you._ ”


	41. “Maybe we should just marry each other.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Loraw ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

“Maybe we should just marry each other.”

Annie stroked her fingers through Jeff’s hair as he pushed kisses along her jaw. His hair was all tousled at the front, making her tempted to tell him he should wear it like it more often, but thought better of it. It was _his_ hair after all.

“You’re only saying that because it would mean you could sleep with me every day.”

“Well that’s definitely part of the reason, but there’s more to it than that.”

He kissed her again before resting on her shoulder, his head tucked up under her chin as he wrapped an arm around her.

“We’ve only been dating four months. Not quite sure we’re ready for it just yet… and do go explain those other reasons. I’d love to hear them.”

He leant up to see her before pressing kisses to her lips whilst explaining.

“You’re beautiful,” _Kiss._ “you’re smart,” _Kiss._ “you’re funny,” _Kiss._ “you’re weird,” _Kiss_ “and you’re perfect.” _Kiss._

“Although that’s all really sweet, we might just have to wait a while buddy.”

“How long’s a while?”

“Well, I think four _years_ sounds a little more realistic than four _months._ ”

“Four _years?”_

“We’ll see.”

_Kiss._


	42. "That sounded way better in my head."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world's awkwardest fic ever.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by celerylapel ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265))** _

It had only taken them four months for Annie to get pregnant the second time around, just after Sebastian turned three. They didn’t quite get themselves too excited about the little blob of life until Annie’s bump had really started to form, due to the fact that a miscarriage can be more common during a second pregnancy, so they were both able to take a breath when everything was smooth sailing.

Except of course, there was a three-year-old running around with a mind full of questions so when Annie’s bump became obvious, he just _had_ to ask that one question.

They were all lying in bed one morning, with Sebastian sandwiched between them, a random cartoon playing on the TV in the corner when he decided to ask it, his hand rubbing all over the mysterious bump, the baby wriggling around in response.

“Mommy, how did a baby get in there?”

Jeff froze before slowly turning his head towards Annie, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

She turned to look at him too, her eyes wide with her bottom lip folded in as he flicked her gaze between Sebastian and Jeff.

“That’s a _good_ question… why don’t you ask Daddy?”

Jeff widened his eyes some more, gritting his teeth together.

 _“I hate you.”_ He muttered through his grimace, a curious Sebastian still sat waiting for an answer.

“You love Mommy.” Sebastian pointed a finger back up to his dad, making a lightbulb go off as his son stated a true fact.

“I _do_ love Mommy,” Jeff clicked a finger towards Annie to get her attention as he began to explain things, “and when a _Mommy_ loves a _Daddy,_ ” Jeff was nodding towards Annie as he tried to make things up as he went along, “they might want to start a family like we did with you… which means they have to…”

Jeff was rolling his hand around in the air, trying to force something out of Annie who was just sat silently listening in amusement.

 _“Help me here._ ”

“Well it’s something you’ll probably learn when you’re a bit older but… our bodies have special functions and…”

_“You’re going there?”_

_“You wanted help..._ they’re different for Mommy and Daddy. Daddy’s body stores a special… seed… which then joins with the _egg_ inside of Mommy to grow into a baby.”

Sebastian was looking down now, pouting his lips as he fiddled with his teddy in-between his feet.

“How?”

Jeff looked away at the follow up question. It was times like this he wished his kid _wasn’t_ so smart.

“ _Daddy_ can answer that one, can’t you Daddy?”

He took a deep breath.

“Well… there’s this thing that moms and dads do… when they’re having… private time,” Jeff was still nodding at Annie who was nodding back as he spoke, “that allows Daddy to… put the seed… with the egg… so… then there’s a baby that grows inside of Mommy’s tummy… so that’s what we did to get this here and the same for you.”

Annie nodded, smoothing down Sebastian’s hair as he snuggled down beside her, resting his teddy on her bump.

“And we do it because we _love_ each other.”

They both glanced at one and other and grinned, holding in laughs. Annie leant over to whisper in Jeff’s ear.

_“That sounded way better in my head.”_

_“Me too.”_

_“So… are you up for putting your seed in with my egg tonight?”_

_“That is so wrong on so many levels.”_

_“Yup.”_ Annie kissed Jeff on the cheek before pulling Sebastian closer. He didn’t have any more questions and seemed quite happy to just carry on watching the cartoon that was still going on. Jeff stood up and stretched out.

“Who wants breakfast?”


	43. “He/She made me do it.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143599964265)) ** _

Annie was taken aback when she opened her eyes on her first official Mother’s Day since giving birth to Sebastian. There were flowers on her bedside table, there was a tray at the end of the bed with fresh coffee, fruit and toast and there was a tiny wrapped gift propped up against her arm where it was folded up underneath the sheets.

She twisted her neck to see if Jeff was anywhere to be seen before being almost scared out of her skin as he waltzed out of the bathroom, their son cradled in his arms.

“Oh you’re awake. Sorry he was just crying and I didn’t want him to disturb you.”

She smiled at that, before rattling the little gift in the air.

“A gift…”

“Sebastian’s idea.”

“Really?”

“Mmhmm, seriously, he made me do it.”

“Our eight-month-year-old baby told you to buy me a gift?”

“Yeah, all his idea. He just started talking and I don’t know when he stopped but… I’m sorry I can’t get it back.” Jeff shrugged his shoulder as she started to open up the box.

“Aww! This is so sweet!” Annie squealed as she sat up, pulling out the delicate little disc necklace which had Sebastian’s birth date engraved on one side.

“If we ever have another you can get the other side done too.”

Annie looked up through her lashes to smile even wider. She climbed out of bed excitedly, scooping her arms up around Jeff’s neck to place a kiss on his lips.

“It’s not me you should be thanking.”

She rolled her eyes before placing a kiss on Sebastian’s forehead as he lay rather lopsided in Jeff’s arms, his eyes closed in a light snooze.

“He’s sleepy.”

“He would be; he didn’t go to sleep until three AM.” Jeff smiled through gritted teeth.

“You must be _sleepy_ too.” She pressed another kiss to his lips again before gliding over to the tray on the bed.

“Coffee?”

“Coffee is urgently needed… oh and also, Happy Mother’s Day.”


	44. "Get out of the way before I murder you."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

It was their first night in since they’d properly settled into their first apartment together (they made the decision after six months of dating because Annie was ending up spending more time at Jeff’s some weeks and Jeff just found it awkward (and rather uncomfortable due to the size of Annie’s bed) to stay over at Apartment 303), but nothing too special was happening because it felt so normal to be in each other’s company.

Jeff was in nothing but sweatpants whilst cooking (Annie always scolded him for it because hot food and bare skin wasn’t a risk worth taking) as Annie leant up against the breakfast bar, reading through some paperwork. She was finished up before Jeff was, so she snuck around the counter and slipped her arms around his waist, fiddling with the ties on the waistband of his pants.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked as he turned off the heat for the probably slightly over cooked rice he’d now finished making.

“Nothing.” She was resting her cheek on his back and Jeff knew if there was a mirror in the room, he would have been able to confirm how cute she looked, wrapped up around him.

“Doesn’t feel like nothing.” Her hands had started to trail up his chest, making him tense a little as he tried to get on with what he was doing.

After a while of fondling it was pretty hard to get the meal dished up so he politely asked her to move before grabbing the plates to place them down on the small circular table to the side of the living room… but she was in the way, a smug smile on her face, swinging her legs as she held up her weight on each side of the countertops.

“Can you get out of the way please?”

She was teasing him, of course.

“Nope.”

“Please?”

“Nope.”

Jeff tilted his head and raised his eyebrows a little before stepping forward.

“Get out of the way before I murder you.”

“Nope.”

“Okay then.” He put down the dishes and stepped even closer.

“I guess I’m gonna’ have to murder you then.”

Before she knew it, Annie was having nipping kisses peppered all up her neck as he scooped her up and planted her down on the couch, restraining her hands up behind her.

“Do you want dinner?”

They were both just staring at each other with wide smiles.

“Yes please.”

So he got up, pressed a kiss to her forehead, let go of her hand finger by finger as he walked away, and finally served that slightly over cooked rice and the chicken and asparagus recipe his mom had given him.


	45. "Take your shirt off."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

One of Annie’s favourite early pictures of Jeff and Sebastian together was an in-the-moment shot of Jeff lying in bed next to her with his knees up, and Sebastian fast asleep across his chest.

She remembers the moment perfectly, because Sebastian had just turned three weeks and the whole day had been a perfect little reminder as to why the sleepless nights were worth it. His face had been a mix of confusion when she’d said “Take your shirt off!” before Sebastian had settled down, but he then remembered that page on skin-to-skin bonding that they’d read together in their newborn parenting help book (they started to read it every night since she was about seven months along) and it made a little bit more sense.

Jeff’s smile in the picture is what made her print and frame it, put it as her phone lock screen and send a copy to his mom. It had taken them months to get pregnant, and at one point Jeff had been so down on himself that he’d started going back to his therapist he hadn’t seen in years.

His smile was a reassurance to her that everything was perfect... the added fact of Jeff’s wedding ring glistening in the shot wasn’t too bad either. They’d seen each other at their worst and now they were seeing each other at their best… and she loved both versions just as much.


	46. "Delete it. Now."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

Since moving in together, their routines had started to match up meaning that Annie often ran with Jeff in the mornings. They’d even created a playlist that they both listen to whilst they jog around the lake nearby, but sometimes just to tease each other they’d add in songs that they knew the other wouldn’t appreciate, meaning they’d have to stop half way to argue why it is, or isn’t a good song.

This time around it was Annie with a High School Musical song which she’d only added in to wind him up because he’d teased her for owning the DVD (he was officially ashamed of his DVD collection which was now just a muddle of family films and random Abed recommendations).

Annie was up ahead when she felt a tap on her shoulder, so she slowed down and pulled out one of her earbuds to find out what was up.

“Why the hell did you add this song on here?”

“What song?”

He showed her the screen of his phone as she folded in her lips, attempting to look nonchalant.

“Seriously?”

“You can’t really say anything, _slow coach._ ”

“I was _pacing_ myself, and that has nothing to do with your terrible music taste.”

“I only put it in there to annoy you.”

“Delete it. Now.”

“I’m sure you can do that yourself.”

He sighed before swiping on the song to get rid of it, looking up to see Annie already running on again. He shook his head with a smile, before leaning forward.

_I’ll show you what a slow coach is._


	47. "Sit still, for the love of all things Holy."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

They were on their first vacation together (vacation meaning – a chance to visit Abed in LA but also spend a week in a fancy hotel near the coast) and somehow Jeff had been bitten by a mysterious fly whilst sunbathing and of course, his first reaction, was to overreact.

“It seriously hurts! I don’t know what that was.”

“Stop being a cry baby!”

“I’m not!”

“Will you be quiet about your little bite if I put something on it?”

“…maybe?”

That’s how Annie found herself standing in their hotel room, a tube of bite cream in hand (she came prepared for everything), with Jeff sat down on a chair wincing every time she even got a few centimetres near the tiny red bump.

“Jeff…”

“What?”

“Please… sit still, for the love of all that is Holy.”

He raised his eyebrows at her bluntness before sitting still, clenching on his teeth as she finally rubbed a small peak of cream into his skin.

“There. Now was that so hard?”

“No… but, you have no idea what it could have been. You don’t know what kind of spiders they have here.”

“Jeff, it’s not like we’re in Australia.”


	48. "Am I your husband or your taxi service?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Loraw ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

Annie was waiting on getting her new car so in the meantime, Jeff was waking up even earlier than usual to drop her off in Denver and then drive all the way back to Greendale for his own day at work. It had only been a week but for Jeff and his Lexus it already felt like it had been a month.

“Why can’t you take the bus? I mean, am I your husband or your taxi service?” Jeff rested back on his headrest as Annie double-checked her bag in the parking lot. She sighed and rolled her eyes before unbuckling herself to reach across and give him a kiss.

“Because you love me and it will probably cost more to go on the bus than for you to drive twenty minutes out of your way. And… you’re my husband. The best husband because you’ll do whatever I ask.”

“Oh… that’s how it works?”

She tilted her head.

“I love you.”

“Whatever.”

Before Annie shut the door after climbing out, she poked her head back in.

“Don’t leave me without saying it back…”

“I love you too… now go to work FBI lady.”

She winked and walked away.


	49. "I bet you can't go 24 hours without cussing."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by celerylapel ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

“Ah sh*t.”

Annie stopped and looked up, glaring at him as she patted Sebastian on the back to burp him. He’d only dropped his phone so when he looked up he sighed with amusement.

“Oh come on. He’s literally less than a month old, he can’t understand.”

“It doesn’t matter! He’ll start to learn that it’s fine for him to say things like that!”

Jeff rolled his neck around before as she sat down beside them, phone in hand.

“I bet you can’t go 24 hours without cussing.”

“Twenty-four hours? Sure I can.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, easy. What’s the prize?”

“Oh there’s no prize unless there’s a forfeit. If you can go 24 hours without cussing, I’ll do all of his diapers for 24 hours, and if you _can’t,_ then you have to do all of them for _48_ hours.”

“I do them all anyway?”

“I’ll feed him more.”

“Pretty sure you can’t just start force feeding him.”

“Well either way buddy you’ve got to stop with that _language._ ”

“24 hours.”

“If you can do 24 hours, you can do 24 _years.”_

“24 _years?_ Annie, I’m hoping by the time he’s 24, he’s moved out and he’s teaching his _own_ kid not to curse.”

“You want Sebastian to have a kid at 24? Oh and by admitting that, you’re saying that we _should_ teach him not to curse.”

“No… I don’t necessarily want him to have a kid at 24 but… ugh fine, 24 hours, that’s it… until he actually starts talking.”

“You have to stop way before then.”

“You can’t even talk, you curse all the time.” Jeff raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh really, when was the last time?”

“I don’t know specifically but I can think of _many, many_ examples.” He was stood now, nodding as he spoke. Annie tilted her head as she noticed the spark in his eye.

“If this is some kind of sex joke, I don’t want to hear it.”

Jeff grinned before making an ‘O’ shape with his mouth, scrunching up his eyebrows before silently mouthing the ‘F’ word.

Annie stuck her tongue to the inside of her cheek.

_“Oh Jeff… ohh…”_


	50. "Take notes, sweetheart."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

They were both over at Jeff’s mom’s house, but for Annie, it wasn’t just a casual dinner… it was the _first_ casual dinner and the _first_ time she’d ever met Doreen.

Jeff didn’t quite realise what he’d expected her reaction to be when he’d accepted an invite one evening, but the amount of fretting she did was quite a surprise. Annie wanted to know as much as she could so wouldn’t end up accidentally offending his mom, even if Jeff had already said several times in the past that she’d love her, no matter what.

The evening was going fine so far, with Jeff trying to push down an amused smile anytime Annie remembered a piece of information she’d learnt the week before. Jeff was in fact correct about his mom obsessing over how perfect Annie was, because she was treating her like a goddamn princess over everything… which was reassuring because even though he’d never actually brought a woman home, she’d always had something to say about the people he’d ‘dated’ in the past.

When Doreen went back to the kitchen, Jeff decided it was a good time to pass over some of his left over bean mix (it was a weird concoction his mom always seemed to serve with potatoes even though he’s made it very clear over the years that he doesn’t particularly like it), whilst she couldn’t see.

_“Do you want this?”_ Jeff mumbled.

“Why? Don’t you want it?” Annie pouted a little as he pushed his plate closer to her.

“You should take notes, sweetheart. He’s always been a fussy eater.” Annie turned with ears pulled back as Doreen reappeared a dessert dish in hand.

“I’m not a fussy eater mom, you just keep feeding me the things I don’t like.”

“See, fussy. How is he for you dear?” Annie looked from his mom and back to Jeff, unsure how to respond.

“Well… he only seems to be fussy over carbs and calories but he always has been.”

“She never cooks for me anyway.” Jeff sat back in his chair looking smug.

“Uh! I do! I live in an apartment with Britta so I’m not just cooking for _one._ ”  

Doreen laughed a little as she watched Jeff fiddle with his fork whilst slyly darting his heart-eyes all over Annie.

“I don’t see why you two aren’t living together. Saves money and saves _food._ ”

Both Jeff and Annie fell quiet for a moment just looking at each other, Annie’s eyebrow quirking up slightly at the thought.

“We’ll think about it.”


	51. "Stop looking at me like that, weirdo."

_**S3 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

For some reason, recently, he just couldn’t stop looking at her. She was glowing and always had that little quirk to her lips like she would start smiling even if you just said her name… which she would, because she always did. She always glowed and she always pulled him in.

The rest of the study group were late for some reason so it was just the two of them sat patiently waiting. She had her head in a textbook of course, whereas he had his towards his phone… well, at that precise moment, towards her, actually.

It was like the whole word slowed when she was there. He could just stare at her for hours on end, if she didn’t notice, which currently, she wasn’t doing. So he did just that. He took her in, every inch of her. He took in the way her hair scooped around her ear and how lips pouted inwards as she mulled things over.

He licked his own lips and gulped when he realised what he was doing, but it didn’t stop him. A few moments of admiring Annie wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“Stop looking at me like that, weirdo.”

_Busted,_ he thought before quickly covering his tracks with his phone. She glanced up and was certain she’d seen his cheeks flush. She stayed looking at him, ready to smile when he looked back over, which she knew he’d do any sec-.

He smiled back.

“Sorry.”


	52. "I'm sorry, but that was adorable."

_**Post-Queer Studies & Advanced Waxing - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

Now that the bird had flown home, they were all just chilling outside deciding on what to do for the rest of the evening seeing as they were altogether, but Jeff had decided to do his own thing by jumping up behind people with his cat mask on, acting like a dork, because even if he didn’t want to admit it, he was one.

Annie wasn’t trying to react, but she was definitely tensing up slightly in preparation for getting a sca-.

“Meow.”

He was now leaning over her shoulder, his face basically right up against her own, his mask being squashed slightly as he fluttered his fingers around in front of her. She tilted her head and tried to ignore him until he started to make a face which he knew would make her laugh.

Ever since they’d been out together, _alone,_ it had seemed to clear some air between them, even just marginally, and even just _temporarily._

He finally pulled away when Elroy brought out his phone for directions to a bar/diner they’d all decided on. Abed came over and stood next to her, analysing the small smile that was still on her face.

“I’m sorry, but that was adorable, right?” She spoke out loud, staring off into the distance where Jeff and Elroy were standing in conversation.

Abed didn’t respond, he just tilted his head and followed her eye line. Jeff looked up and caught on before giving a quick smile.

She gulped.


	53. "She's 6, how can she scare you?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

_“_ _Stop being a grouch. This will be fine. I’ve babysat before.”_

_“I don’t even get why we’re doing this though… it’s my cousin’s grandchild. They have friends and way closer family for them to look after her. It’s just my mom trying to push kids onto me to persuade me to have them.”_

Annie nudged him in the rib before stepping closer to Jeff’s cousin’s grandchild they had to look after for the evening.

“Hey Susie… so, what do you want for dinner? What kind of thing do you like?”

Susie shrugged shyly before looking back to the TV in front of them.

_“See, she’s grumpy and she’s scary, and I don’t know why she’s here.”_

_“She’s 6, how can she scare you? What are you gonna’ do when you have kids?”_

_“I won’t be scared of them, because they’ll be_ our _kids.”_

Annie rolled her eyes before trying again, sitting down next to Susie on the couch.

“Would you like pizza? Or Chinese? Have you had Chinese before?” Susie shook her head whilst pouting to the floor.

“Well then we can have a tasting evening! We can keep the TV on… or watch a movie… I can get some blankets… _and if you really want, I can get Jeff to go away…_ ” Susie nodded whilst kicking her legs against the couch. Annie turned to face Jeff who had his hands up in the air.

 _“What did I ever do?”_ He mouthed.


	54. "Why's there a pregnancy test in the trash?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

Seeing as the trash bags were ready by the door, Jeff decided to throw his empty beer bottle in the nearest one, pulling the tie loose slightly so he could fit it in. As he did so, something caught his eye. He just wanted to double check what the box was sitting on top, just in case it was something important that got accidentally chucked in. He scrunched in his brow as he saw it though. His stomach dropped. He put his bottle on the side before rapidly pulling the box out, the bag tearing slightly as he did so.

He stood back, checked the inside, pulled out the piece of plastic, scanned the small screen and darted into their bedroom where Annie was sat crossed legged on the bed, casually typing away on her laptop.

“Annie.”

“Mhmm.” She hummed, not looking up from her screen.

“Why’s there a pregnancy test in the trash?” Jeff asked, his voice raising ever so slightly as if he was angry. Which he was. Because she didn’t tell him.

She slowly turned to face him, lifting her fingers off the keyboard before parting her lips.

“I… took one?”

“Care to tell me _why_ you took one? And why you didn’t _tell me_ you took one?”

“It was nothing… I knew it wasn’t really possible, I just wanted to double-check because I was late, that’s all.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because… I didn’t think it was that important.”

“You didn’t think it would be important for me to know that you might be pregnant with _our kid_?”

“Well… I knew I wasn’t going to be… I just needed to know for peace of mind.”

“Well if you knew you weren’t going to be, then you wouldn’t have taken one. What would you have done if you _were?_ ”

“I would have told you.”

“Yeah well, you should have told me _before_ you took one.”

“Well I’m sorry it’s such a big deal to you.”

“Oh so you’re saying, it’s not a big deal to _you?”_

“I never said that… I don’t know why you’re getting so mad.”

“Because you didn’t tell me, that’s why!”

“I’m _sorry._ ” Annie was stood up now, shrugging her shoulders as she tried to apologise. Jeff accepted her apology but he was still stood there, his face dropping as he looked at the box in his hand.

And that’s when it hit her.

 _“Oh god… you’re getting mad because you thought I might be…_ ”

“That’s not…” It was.

“I’m sorry…. We’re not read-.”

“I am.” He butted in, because it was true. He’d been ready ever since they’d started dating. He wanted a lifetime with her, and he wanted part of that to be having a family.

Annie sighed.

“I’m sorry… it’s just with work and everything and… I can’t think about that right now. It doesn’t mean I never do. _Trust me,_ there was a tiny part of me that kind of wishes that test had come up positive… but not now. It wouldn’t work. But… after I go away next month, it will be your birthday and Thanksgiving and Christmas and then New Year… I mean… what about then?”

Jeff searched her eyes. She was seriously thinking about it.

“Annie, no… we’re not doing i-.”

“Hey, part of this… being _married,_ means doing things for each other and I know this will make you happy, so I’m in... and it will make me happy too, I _know_ it will… it’s just sooner than I ever thought but that’s fine. I’m happy to move it closer if that’s what you want.” Her hands were up around his neck. She could feel his pulse settle behind his ear.

“In the New Year. We can start trying. New Year… New Winger?” Annie pulled a face at her phrasing, pulling a smirk out of him.

“That’s an awful slogan.”


	55. "Why do you have so many grey t-shirts?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by HeyProfessorWhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143647352065))** _

Annie was doing the laundry (as usual – Jeff tended to put things away but even that was a stretch because he was probably more focused on a video game) when she realised something. Jeff had an absurd amount of grey t-shirts.

“Jeff…”

“Yuh.” He spoke, facing the TV that he was fully engrossed in.

“Why do you have so many grey t-shirts?”

“I don’t.”

“Well I’ve just folded up about five in a row… so…”

He pressed pause on the TV before turning around to see what she was talking about.

“I mean, what’s the difference between this one… and this one?” She held up two basically identical grey t-shirts in each of her hands.

“That one has splits on the side, and that one doesn’t.”

“Oh brother! What a difference.”

“The one with splits is better for moving about in, and the other one is better for underneath things.”

“What about this one?”

“It has a pocket.”

“For… holding…?”

“It’s a decorative pocket. Detailing.”

“This one?”

“I think that one’s called grey _marl…_ it’s a bit more textured looking.”

She was now pulling out different t-shirts from their bedroom, because there were still a good half-a-dozen left to go.

“This one?”

“Pretty sure my mom bought me that one.”

She was finally done several minutes later.

“You have sixteen different grey t-shirts. Six. _Teen._ ”

“Hang on a minute… you can’t talk, Miss ‘I Have a Sweater in Every Colour of the Rainbow’.”

Annie crossed her arms before throwing up her arms, before shrieking.

“THEY’RE DIFFERENT COLOURS!”


	56. “Just jam your knee right up my crotch. This is fine.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

Annie was back from DC and they were gradually spending more and more time together, just chilling and relaxing and doing mundane tasks together because they both enjoyed lulling around in each other’s company – although Annie was making it very obvious they couldn’t move any further unless Jeff finally organised their first date (he was putting together the ‘final touches’ apparently).

So as usual these days, they were both cuddled on Jeff’s couch under a blanket watching some TV, both readily awaiting the delivery they’d ordered a while earlier.

“Just jam your knee right up my crotch… this is fine.” Jeff mumbled as Annie shifted, her knees bent up as she lay on top of him.

“Hmm?”

“Your knee… kinda’… in an interesting position.”

“Oh…” She shuffled further but really wasn’t helping the situation… the situation being he couldn’t work out whether it was uncomfortable or actually kind of arousing in some weird and totally wrong way. He blamed it on the fact that they still hadn’t made it to his bedroom (other than to _actually sleep_ together, which they’d already done a couple of times) so any kind of contact was enough to get him going.

“Yeah, you know what…” Jeff was the one shuffling now, pulling her around as he pushed into the back of the couch so she was pressed up against his chest, his hands scooping around her waist, where her own fingers slipped between his.

“Love you.” She pressed a kiss to his hand and it was enough to make him melt.


	57. "Move, my arm is falling asleep."

_**S3 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

The movie night at Casa Troy, Abed and Annie was slowly ending as the rather predictable final scene started to play out.

As everyone stretched out and yawned, Jeff was left to glance over to his side and sigh.

“Move, my arm is falling asleep.” He mumbled, poking Annie with a finger.

But then he checked again, and he realised that her eyelids were closed and her lips were slightly parted and there was no way in hell that was he going to be able to move without disturbing her.

“How do you move a sleeping Annie?” Jeff asked the room, receiving a few shrugs and a judging pair of squinting eyes from Shirley. He rolled his eyes and turned back to her.

Okay so the sight wasn’t half bad. Her hair was falling over her face and it looked so silky and smooth that he was half tempted to brush it all back in front of everyone. He would have, if Shirley wasn’t there.

Instead he tilted himself so one leg was on the couch, his knee almost touching her own which was folded up, and one leg was off, her head now nuzzling in-between his arm. He didn’t have anywhere to be, and if anyone asked; she really needed that beauty sleep and he wasn’t about to get in the way of it.


	58. *hours later when they’ve both fallen asleep and are no longer cuddling, one person stretches and softly punches the other in the face*

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

Depending on what time they fell in to bed with each other (fall meaning, quickly scramble around trying to pull each other’s clothes off) depended on whether they’d end up cuddling and softly making out afterwards, or whether they’d end up just falling asleep immediately because they were both so worn out (but in the best possible way, Jeff would add).

Tonight was one of those ‘Do you wanna’ cuddle and make-out for a bit? It’s only half ten and I just really want to spend some more time with you before I have to go back to the apartment’ nights. Although Jeff usually protested and said they could just go again before she had to leave early the next morning, he couldn’t deny he kind of liked just pulling her close and peppering kisses along her jaw, sometimes.

It was a couple of hours later and they were both fast asleep, Jeff’s cheek squashed into his pillow as he lay on his front, with Annie just an arms width away, facing the bathroom door, with her back to him.

She wasn’t really fast asleep quite yet, but she was dozy enough to not realise what she was doing when she turned over and held out her hand, her fist nudging into Jeff’s face.

“Ow…” Jeff mumbled.

“Wha…”

“You jus’ punched… me.” They were both speaking sleepily into their pillows, their eyes still closed.

“S’ry.”

“Are y’still awake?”

“Hmm, sorta’.”

“I wish you could stay here t’morrow.”

“I have to work.”

“You can work here.” Jeff patted the space between them sloppily.

“Too many distractions.”

“Hmm? Don’t know…” He shuffled closer, his arm pulling her towards him, “…what you’re talking about.”

“Go to sleep.”

“You should move in.”

“Soon. I promise.” She stroked back the hair behind his ear and kissed his nose.

“Soon.”


	59. "I have to pee." “Nooooooo!”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

Annie was heavily pregnant and literally _every_ position she sat in was uncomfortable, unless of course, it involved leaning on Jeff, because magically, that solved all of her problems. 

Well not all of them, because even being perfectly comfortable perched between your husband’s legs as you both rest your feet out on another chair whilst watching TV from the couch, came with a couple of hurdles... like nature calling. 

“I have to pee.” Jeff rested his chin on her shoulder, leaning forward a little but not too far unless he got a thwack to the face for the sharp change in comfort levels. 

“Nooooooo!” Annie pouted before grabbing Jeff’s left hand to place it on her bump.

“If you move, you’ll disturb our child and you’ll have a very angry wife on your hands.”

“If I _don’t_ move, I’ll pee on the couch and on you, and not only disturb our child, but disturb your whole week trying to get stains out of the fabric which will make my already _always_ angry wife even angrier.” She pulled a face at that.

“I’m not _always_ angry.”

“Okay, but if you don’t let me move then you will be.”

“No, if I don’t let you move then I’ll stay calm and serene and my body will thank you for it’s few short moments of peace.”

“If I don’t move then you’ll be wet, stink of my urine and you will _not_ be thanking me for my piss.”

“Did you just try and make piss sound like peace?” 

Jeff paused and took a deep breath. _He had tried to make piss sound like peace._

“The longer you make me wait, the more I’m needing to pee. So unless you want me to grab that bottle over there, which will probably cause you discomfort anyway from my movements, you should probably let me get up and use the bathroom.”

Annie glanced at the bottle before rolling her eyes and giving in, using Jeff’s thighs for stability as she finally stood.

When Jeff returned to the living room five minutes later, he was greeted by the sight of Annie spread out on the couch, with several cushions supporting her all around.

“Oh come on!”


	60. “Do you remember when we thought we were just friends?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

Annie’s wedding dress was in a creamy pool of fabric in the corner of the room, with Jeff’s suit thrown around in several different directions, his tie finding it’s home on the corner of a picture frame hung up on the wall. It was nearing midnight, so Annie was snuggling right up into Jeff’s arms, holding her left hand out as she admired the new piece of silver upon her finger. 

“Do you remember when we thought we were just friends... I mean, sorry, do you remember when _you_ thought we were just friends?” Annie asked, sighing at the end, as she turned her head back over to a messy haired Jeff. 

“We were never just friends _really..._ even I can admit that. You’ve always been more... and now you’re my wife, so it doesn’t matter.”

“I would point out the many times you made it quite clear you wanted nothing to do with me, but that would be ruining a perfectly perfect moment, so I guess I’ll just be quiet.”

“Good... also, you do realise _everyone_ knows we’re having sex right now, right? Like that’s just a wedding thing... so what the hell are we doing just laying in bed talking? Let's get back to it.”

“ _Apparently,_ I have an early flight tomorrow, so I’m resting up.”

“True... but you can sleep on the plane.”

“Huh! Is it a long haul flight?! Is our secret honeymoon, somewhere in Europe?!” She’d turned over completely now, her eyes bright and sparkly as he kept a straight face.

“I don’t know... I guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” He paused to crawl over her. Annie moaned as he moved lower, “Mrs Winger.”


	61. "I can't breathe."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

It was 2am and all Annie wanted to do was sleep, but having Jeff over at the apartment was always trick; he took up most of the bed and most of _her,_ compared to when they were at his place, so currently, she was being squashed flat. 

“Jeff.” She prodded his arm, receiving a hum in response. 

“Jeff...”

“Hmm.”

“I can’t breathe.”

“Y’talking.”

“What?”

“Y’talking so y’must be breathin’.”

“Yeah but my _lungs_ are being squashed by the six foot giant on top of me.”

“Six four.”

“What?”

“Six foot four giant.”

“Why does that matter right now? Move over buddy. Budge.”

He turned and was rudely awoken in shock when his face hit the floor. He’d rolled a little too far.

“Help.”

Annie could only see the hand he’d put in the air from where she was lying down. 

It took her a good ten minutes to fully recover from an outburst of laughter and tears. 


	62. *can hear the other’s tummy gurgle*

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143783894200))** _

Jeff was laying sideways across their bed, resting his head on Annie’s bump as she played with his hair (he’d had it a cut a little different recently - still short and spikey but a little bit more tousled at the front and she was _loving_ it). They were waiting for their dinner to finish cooking so it wasn’t much of a surprise that Annie’s stomach was making noises.

“Was that you or the baby?” He smiled back up at her as she shrugged, smiling back down too. 

“I’d say it was me, but I _am_ basically eating for two, so I guess they must be getting impatient as well.”

“It’s nearly ready, I swear.”

“I know. I don’t mind, I enjoy just chilling with you.”

Jeff lent back some more so he could properly smile at her, his cheeks full and wide as he did so. He smiled some more when he felt a kick to his head.

“I guess the baby enjoys chilling with you too.”

“Everyone loves chilling with me.”

“And I’m the only one who gets to... ah, such a shame.”

“The world is really missing out.”


	63. A shy kiss.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

Jeff’s mom _loved_ Annie. She loved her so much, Jeff was pretty certain she’d adopt her for her own if it wasn’t so wrong on so many levels. She was so immersed within Doreen’s world that Jeff was starting to attend way more family gatherings just because his mom wanted any chance she could get to showcase what a ‘delightful daughter-in-law’ she had (which wasn’t in any way accurate because they were nowhere near getting married at this stage).

Annie said she was fine with it and she appreciated being loved and supported by a mother when she didn’t have her own, so being pushed around a party held by one of his aunts apparently wasn’t a big deal.

But it was to Jeff, because they could hardly spare a few moments alone whenever they were over at his mom’s house and it became somewhat of a struggle to even show a single sign of affection without the whole room and family exploding in fits of awe.

He stood beside her in a small circle of a few of his mom’s friends and his cousin Julie, flashing them a tight slipped smile before crooking his neck down to Annie’s cheek to whisper in her ear.

_“Can I steal you for a second?”_

Annie turned and smiled with wide questioning eyes, humming in response.

“What do you want?”

Jeff glanced around the circle that was still chatting and mumbling, before sighing and rolling his neck.

“Nothing…”

He pressed a kiss to her temple before walking off, hearing the cooing and ‘aww’ing in the distance.

_“Oh you two are so perfect together.”_

_“Would it be bad to say that we_ really _are?”_ He heard Annie reply.


	64. A giggly kiss.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

“So… we’re really doing this, huh?” Jeff smirked as they stood holding hands in a small seating area of the hotel they were staying at the night before the big day.

Annie nodded and pulled a nervous smile, swinging their hands just by the fingertips.

“Look at me, about to get married to Annie Edison. How did that happen?”

“Oh my gosh, this is my last day as an _Edison…_ ” Annie realised, holding a hand up to her chest, looking off into the distance rather dramatically.

“You can always keep the name if you _really_ want…”

Annie shook her head and stood a little closer.

“Are you okay?” She nodded, holding his hand a little tighter.

“Yeah… I’m so excited but I know it’s going to go by so quickly… I just want to make sure we really embrace it.”

“Oh we _will_ embrace it, especially tomorrow night when it’s just you and me.”

Annie rolled her eyes before being pulled in for a hug.

“I love you, and I’m so glad I’m doing this with you and nobody else.” She reached up around his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his neck before sliding back down in his arms.

“I love you too.” Jeff smiled and then they were just standing again, swinging each other’s hands together. His smile soon spread to a grin and before he knew it, he was chuckling as she reached back up and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him closer for deep kiss which they laughed into because really it was all quite ridiculous.

“I’ve got to leave you then, haven’t I?” Annie nodded, finally letting their hands separate.

“See you tomorrow _fiancé.”_ They both slowly drifted apart, keeping their eyes on each other the whole time.

“I’m getting married tomorrow! Woo!” Jeff fist pumped the air before winking and spinning on his heels.


	65. A kiss on the back.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

Waking up with Jeff, definitely wasn’t a bad thing. His sleepy voice was adorable, his _real_ bed head was even more adorable and his drowsy state meant that Annie could smother him with love and affection and he’d be too lazy to do anything about it.

“I love you.” She pressed a kiss into his shoulder blade as he lay face down into his pillow, his body still not ready for to get on with the day.

“Mhm.”

“I do.”

“Mhm.”

She lay her head on his shoulder before circling a finger down his back, hearing him let out a small whimper as she trailed lower to the curve over his hip.

“Britta’s going to burst in on us _any_ moment now if you don’t get up.”

“Mhm… ‘nother reason why y’should m’ve in.”

“I will… I just don’t want us to rush anything.”

“No r’shing, I love you.”

Annie bit her lip before stroking the hair down behind his ear.

“I know.”


	66. An "I'm sorry" kiss.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

Annie bit her lip before poking her head around their bedroom door where Jeff was lying, just a towel over his waist as he finished up after having a shower.

“Erm… I know you’ve had tonight planned for a while… but… I just don’t think I’m going to be able to finish this work in time and I have to get it done by tomorrow… so… I think we might have to just go another time this week? I’m so sorry…”

Jeff was sat up now, his towel still wrapped around him as he perched on the edge of the bed, his hands in-between his legs as he pouted.

“Jeff…”

“It’s fine. No big deal. We can do it another night.”

“Jeff…”

“Yup?” He looked up as she stood between his thighs, her hands gently brushing over his shoulders.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine… I get it.”

She watched his face before cupping her hands around his face to pull him into a kiss, pulling back to press them up his nose and up to onto the crown of his still damp hair. He nuzzled into her chest as she kissed him all over.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try and be finished by eleven, okay?” He nodded as she walked away, before glancing to his suit that was hung up on the closet door frame.

If you looked hard enough, you could roughly make out the faint outline of the ring box that was in one of the front pockets.


	67. A kiss on the ear.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

They were standing at the back of the a crowd, swaying slightly as Jeff held his hands on Annie shoulders, watching a random local band play a set for the evening. It was their new favourite place to escape to now they were parents to a two-and-a-half-year-old, so they tried to get a baby sitter at least once a week so they could just spend some one on one time together (that _other_ kind of one and one time often ending up happening in the backseats of their car – _if_ the car seat wasn’t in the way).

Annie was checking her phone for any emergency messages, not realising that Jeff was watching (he hated it when she kept checking it every five minutes).

“He’s fine.” He spoke into her ear, making her roll her eyes whilst slipping it back into her purse.

“I know… I just miss him today.”

“Yeah well do you know what I miss? _Not_ missing him.”

She elbowed him in the rib for that.

“The only reason you want me to focus on all of _this_ is because you think you’re getting lucky tonight.”

He tilted his head before pressing his lips right up to her ear.

 _“And I will be._ ” He stayed there for a while before kissing behind her ear and down her neck a little, pulling away to sip on the beer he’d put to the side.

She felt her phone buzz so she immediately pulled it out as he was momentarily distracted.

 _Britta:_ _What are you guys doing 2nite? Heard you were baby free!!! Let’s get drinks!_


	68. An "I've missed you" kiss.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

He’d already been waiting for forty-five minutes when her flight finally touched down in Denver. He really hadn’t wanted to miss it so he’d made sure to leave enough time for traffic on the way, for an early landing and any other complications which might arise… although technically Annie landing early wouldn’t have been a complication, because he’d already been waiting long enough (and not just the forty-five minutes beforehand).

He was tapping his phone into the palm of his hand as he scanned the rush of people flowing out of the arrivals area, chewing on his lip as he looked over people’s heads. He hadn’t been this nervous since before he’d lost his job at the old firm, so that was saying something. He wasn’t quite sure _why_ he was nervous though. They’d basically spoken every day and every night since she’d left for her internship and they’d shared numerous moments which were _definitely_ not platonic (like that chain of messages that he still had stored away for when he was bored late at night).

He checked his phone for the umpteenth time, making sure it _had_ been her flight that had just landed and not the one that had just flown from Turkey rather than DC.

His phone buzzed making his stomach flip inside out.

_Annie:_ _Turn around :)_

He paused and raised an eyebrow before slowly turning his head, smiling as soon as he recognised her silky smooth hair in the corner of his eye. She watched him as he smiled down at her, his mouth moving but his voice struggling to make any kind of noise. She pursed her lips to hold in a giggle before realising she wasn’t quite sure what to do with her hands.

“I thought you were... coming from over…” He threw a thumb back behind him before his voice trailed off into silence again.

That’s when she realised what she at least _wanted_ to do with her hands.

“If you don’t ki-.”

She didn’t even need to finish the sentence for him to know exactly what she was thinking. He was pulling her up into her arms, her hands finally settling around the back of his neck as their mouths moved in perfect synchrony. Annie’s hands slipped a little higher into his hair as her feet lifted off the ground, her new suitcase falling to the floor as everything blurred around them.

Jeff pulled back for a split second to let her know, “I’ve missed you.”, but then they were back to it.

His hands were wrapped so tightly around her that there was literally no part of her body that wasn’t pressed up against his own… even their tongues were finding each other as they ignored anyone who might be watching on.

Annie’s eyes opened as she suddenly remembered where they were. She pulled back and watched Jeff slowly open his eyes, his face looking thoroughly dazed and his lips looking thoroughly made out with.

“I’ve missed you too… but… I’m not sure the airport really wants to see _how_ much I’ve missed you.”

He nodded before lowering her back down to the ground, grabbing her bags before she had the chance.

“You’re totally going to show _me_ though right?” He asked as they finally walked away, hand in hand.

“Jeff!”


	69. An "I almost lost you" kiss.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/143984255470))** _

They’d bought their first house, _finally,_ after Annie’d been promoted just after Sebastian’s second birthday so they were able to go on the furniture shopping trip Annie had always dreamt of. The kitchen was a huge space which led into the living room but it was all mostly empty which meant they needed to buy at least two couches, two side tables and a coffee table (although they weren’t technically buying that one – Jeff’s mom was giving them the money).

Going on a furniture shop with a two-year-old was slightly difficult though, seeing as testing out couches wasn’t exactly that amusing unless you were allowed to bounce and face plant onto them (which was out of the question – the employees had already given them a few judgemental glances).

The shop was a pretty huge warehouse with loads of different designer names, some pieces within their price range and some that Jeff didn’t even want to take a second looking at because he could buy a _really_ decent car with that kind of money. They decided they wanted a couch (or two) that was comfortable, with a mix of a feminine and masculine feel to it… although Jeff had reminded Annie that she could _easily_ dress it up with pillows and throws if it wasn’t quite as she’d imagined it.

Jeff turned a corner to check out a leather one which looked extremely comfortable, turning back around again when he saw the price and the leather up close (far too shiny), only to see that Annie and Sebastian were nowhere to be found. Sebastian had been following him, he could have sworn… with Annie close behind.

He paced down a few aisles, looking in and out of fake home set-ups to make sure they hadn’t hidden away in any of them playing house, his main concern being that Annie _wasn’t_ with Sebastian and that he’d locked himself in a cupboard for nobody to find him.

He was nearly back where they’d started when he _really_ started to panic. It really wasn’t funny when your wife and kid went missing… but it was fine, unless they’d gone out because Sebastian was having a meltdown, he’d have to find them in the store somew-.

“Hey, we were looking for you!” Annie was pushing Sebastian’s stroller as he cuddled up in one of her arms (she’d been working out more, recently, so she was taking on his weight like a champ).

“Oh thank god. I really had no idea where you’d gone.”

“We were trying to find you! But… I think we found one… well, I like it anyway… he said he doesn’t like the colour.”

Jeff stepped closer, brushing Sebastian’s fringe out of his face as he yawned (it was his nap time, Jeff realised). He put a hand around Annie’s waist before kissing her cheek, giving Sebastian a matching kiss so that he didn’t start begging for attention.

“I almost lost you… don’t do that again.” Jeff winked and smiled before taking the stroller in hand to go and take a look at the couch Annie had eyed up.

A month later, Jeff could confirm that it was indeed a very comfortable couch that she’d found and the position Annie shifted into whilst they were on the corner piece… _worth_ every dime.


	70. “Stop being 'consending.'”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (No, that's not a spelling error.)

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

"Sorry, what did you say?” Jeff was tilting his head with a smirk as he towered over Sebastian who was in his pajamas, trying to get himself a later bedtime.

“Stop being consending.”

“Con... what now?” Jeff’s smirk was turning into a full on grin as he stood in the hallway, wishing Annie was out of the bathroom so she could witness the cutest mispronunciation ever known to man. 

“Stop being consending!”

“Consending? Yeah, okay, sorry, I’ll stop.”

“You’re still doing it!”

“Doing what?”

“Being consending!”

“Consending?”

“Yeah!”

He heard the bathroom door click, knowing that Annie was about to walk out and join them within seconds.

“ _Mom_ , am I being consending?”

“What?” She was tying her wet hair up into a bun as she pulled a questioning face.

“Do you think I’m being consending?”

“Consending? Don’t you mean... condescending?”

“No, I mean, consending.”

“What does consending mean?”

Jeff turned back to Sebastian with a smile.

“Seb, what does consending mean?”

“When you’re being annoying... I don’t want to go to bed yet.”

“Apparently it means when I’m being annoying.”

Annie shook her head as she left them to it, leaving the bedroom door open just a crack so she could still hear them going about nonsense. 

“If I stop being consending will you go to bed?”

“No.”

“Okay, I tried.  _Mommy_ , can you come and make Sebastian go to sleep? Apparently I’m being too consending for his liking.”


	71. “We are leaving even if I have to physically drag you to the car.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

“Sebastian, come on where are you?” Jeff called from the doorway, holding Finn up in his arms as Annie brushed past them, unlocking the car that was parked up outside. 

“I’m not coming!”

Jeff rolled his neck around before taking a deep breath, holding an extra hand around Finn who was dropping off to sleep before they’d even set off. 

“You can’t stay home alone all week, you’re eight years old.”

“I don’t want to come.”

“Seriously, are we doing this right now?” Sebastian was still upstairs in his room as Jeff stood at the bottom of the stairs, poking his head over Finn’s shoulder to check the time on his watch. 

“Come on, we’re going to be late for the airport and we _really_ can’t miss this flight. We’re not just going on vacation this time; Mom has work to do.”

“Why does she always have to do work?”

Jeff sighed before leaning on the banister, realising that Finn was seriously pushing it with being carried around now that he was almost six.

“Because otherwise we can’t go on vacation at all. Now come downstairs so we can go.”

“No...”

“We are leaving even if I have to physically drag you to the car.”

“Come on, what’s the delay? Where’s Sebastian?” Annie poked her head back in the door, looking slightly flustered after packing the trunk of the car.

“He’s just coming, aren’t you buddy?”

“Ugh, fine.” He finally appeared, clomping down each step.

“What’s up with you this morning?”

“I want to go back to bed.”

“You can sleep in the car, now let’s go.”


	72. "Here, taste this."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

They were sat around the dining table as they usually did, the table haphazardly laid by Sebastian with the ‘help’ of his younger brother Finn, the room being filled with the clatter of knives and plates.

“Here, taste this.” Jeff was holding out a spoonful of his curry, making Sebastian frown in confusion.

“Why? I have my own.”

“I know but mine’s different and I think you’ll like it.”

“Are you trying to trick me?”

“Nope.”

 _“He is.”_ Annie covered the side of her face to whisper to Sebastian.

“I’m not. Honestly, you’ll love it.”

“You’re lying.”

“You should trust me, I’m your father.”

“Honey... you use that excuse a lot... they’ll probably end up _not_ trusting you if you keep on doing it.”

Jeff tilted his head before returning his attention to Sebastian who was still making up his mind on whether to take the spoonful or not.

“If you’re lying, I’ll get really mad.”

Jeff shrugged.

“Fine, but I’m not eating it all.” Sebastian took the spoon and carefully bit down, scrunching up his face and spraying it back down onto his plate as soon as the fireball of spice hit his tongue.

“AH! Get it off, get it off! Why would you eat that? Mom!” 

Jeff sat sniggering with a huge grin as Annie glared, rolling her eyes as she got up from the table to get Sebastian a glass of milk.

“You should have stuck with your instinct. See, there’s a lesson to be learnt here.”

“Yeah that you always lie about stuff.”

“I don’t always lie... Finn, do I lie to you?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged before stuffing a fork full of rice into his mouth.

“Mom, do I lie?”

“You don’t _lie..._ but, I really do wish you wouldn’t tease them with things like that.”

“What? They’re old enough... plus, who doesn’t like spicy food?”

“Me!” They all spoke in unison, making Jeff moan.


	73. “Wait… hold your hand here… they’re kicking!”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

One of Annie’s favourite things about being pregnant for the second time around was seeing Sebastian’s reaction to all things baby related. He loved seeing pictures from the scans, he was already predicting it to be another boy, and he was already picking out toys in stores that he thought they’d appreciate when they ‘finally came out to play’. 

“Wait... hold your hand here... they’re kicking!”

“What?” Sebastian was perched in-between Annie’s legs as she lay on the couch, bouncing up and down on her knees slightly.

“If you put your hand on my bump, you’ll feel it kick... and if you really lightly press down, they’ll kick back too.”

Sebastian pouted before carefully placing his hand down on her bump, scrunching up his face as he waited.

“It’s not doing anything.”

“Just wait!”

“I can’t feel it.”

“Then press lightly and it should kick back to say hello.”

 Sebastian pressed his hand down making Annie’s eyes bulge.

“Not _that_ hard... gently.” She moved it to a better position before seeing his face light up at the feeling. Jeff was hovering over the couch now, smiling back down at both of them.

“Three months.” He winked. 


	74. "STOP SCREAMING!"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

“Can I have an ice cream?” Sebastian was tottering around the kitchen on his tippy toes, tilting his head from side to side as Jeff filled up his bottle with some juice.

“I’m not sure we have any.”

“I want one.”

“Yeah well we all want what we can’t have at some point in our lives.”

“I. Want. An. Ice. Creeeeamm.” Jeff paused to look down at his five-year-old son who was now hunching up his shoulders and pouting, swaying from side to side to make his fringe swing down into his eyes.

“I don’t think we have any and we’re not going shopping until Saturday.”

“Can we go shopping _now?”_

“Nope, we can’t go without mom.”

“ _Please_ can we go?”

“Do you want some juice?” Jeff handed him his bottle to try and distract him whilst he grabbed a beer from the fridge for himself.

“I want ice cream.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve already talked about that. We don’t have any ice cream, so we can’t _eat_ any ice cream.”

“I want ice cream! Now!

“Even if we _did_ have ice cream, you’re not saying please.”

“Please can I have some ice cream?”

“No, because we don’t have any.”

“PLEASE CAN I HAVE SOME I CREAM!” 

Usually by now Jeff would be gritting down on his teeth and holding himself together whilst Sebastian threw a paddy, but luckily it was just one of those times where he was being cute to get attention, knowing full well that’s all he would be getting, seeing as ice cream was out of the question. 

“STOP SCREAMING!”

“I’M NOT SCREAMING!”

“IF YOU DON’T STOP SCREAMING I’M GOING TO HAVE TO PICK YOU UP AND THROW YOU OUT THE WINDOW!”

“Ahhh!” Sebastian shrieked before running through the living room with his bottle in hand, making Jeff chuckle as he scurried after him. 

Annie had been standing in the door way the whole time, her bag still over her shoulder as she watched it all play out. She smiled before creeping up behind Jeff to press a kiss to his cheek, slipping away into their bedroom to change out of her work clothes. She paused as she heard a voice at the door.

“Mommy... please can I have some ice cream?”


	75. “Good job, buddy.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

One of the things Jeff had never imagined himself doing with Annie all of those years ago, was training _their son_ to use a potty. Annie was heavily pregnant with their second child meaning it was a rather stressful time to be dealing with ‘big boy underwear’ and Sebastian not knowing whether he needed to go or not. However, it just made the final outcome even sweeter when it actually happened. 

“I did it!” Sebastian threw his hands in the air after being cleaned up. It was his fifth or sixth time successfully timing and making use of the toilet and Jeff couldn’t have been prouder.

“Good job, buddy.” He grinned before putting out his fist for a fist bump and a high five. 

“I can use the bathroom and I have a big bed and I’m going to be a _biiiig_ brother.” Sebastian smiled whilst marching around his bedroom, a ridiculous grin on his face.

Jeff chuckled before taking out his ‘big boy pajamas’ from the drawer in preparation for bedtime. 

“You _are_ going to be a big brother, and you know what that means? When they’re your age, you have to teach _them_ how to go to the bathroom.”

“No... you’ll teach them.”

“That’s more likely, yes, because it would probably end in disaster... okay, shall we go and find Mommy?”

“Mhmmm.” Sebastian proudly nodded before walking out the door, waiting for his dad at the top of the stairs.


	76. "Because we are your parents and if you don’t listen to us then..."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

“He’s over there, I’ve got him.” Jeff ran off to other side of the park where he could spot Sebastian crouching down on his knees beside a tree, rummaging around in some leaves with his toy cars.

“Sebastian, get up, now.” He looked up at his dad, his eyes wide as he pulled in his face, trying to act innocent.

“Sebastian, _get. Up. Now!”_ Jeff gritted down on his teeth before stepping closer, grabbing one of the toy cars from the ground as Sebastian finally stood up, taking Jeff’s hand so they could join Annie back at the playground.

“Oh thank god... Sebastian, you _can’t_ do that. You know you shouldn’t go running off without telling us, we were really worried.”

He shrugged, whilst holding up his car, his other hand still being stretched up into Jeff’s, who was now crouching down to his five-year-old’s son’s height (Finn, who was just two, was napping in the stroller, completely oblivious to his brother’s disappearance). 

“You have to pay attention to us okay? Because we are your parents and if you don’t listen to us then bad things can happen. If you’d gone any further, someone might have taken you away from us, or you might have hurt yourself and we wouldn’t have been there to help. You can’t run away, okay? If you want to go and look at something, you _have_ to tell us. We have to watch your brother at the same time so it’s not always easy, so if you tell us, you’re helping everyone; you understand?”

Sebastian nodded before speaking up.

“I just wanted to play with my cars.”

“Did you really need to run over there to play with them?”

“A girl was trying to take them.” He pointed over Jeff’s shoulder to the play area.

“She probably just wanted to share... and you can come and play with me, you know? Or Mommy, she likes to play with you too.”

“You were playing with Finn.” Sebastian looked to the stroller and back to Jeff.

“We can all play together, that’s the point in family. I want us to all play together. Plus, you have to teach your brother all the cool tricks and games you know, because I _can’t_ teach him those things. That’s up to you.”

Sebastian let go of Jeff’s hand to walk up to the stroller, rolling his car up the side of Finn’s leg.

“He can have my car when he wakes up.”

Annie glanced to Jeff before smiling with a sigh. 

“He’ll love that.”


	77. “Wouldn’t it be cute if he/she had a sibling…?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

Sebastian was now at the age where he was going off to nursery and happily interacting with other kids and toddlers of his age, wondering off into his own little world of make-believe and flying cars. 

Jeff and Annie had been invited along to one of Sebastian’s buddy’s birthday parties (Jacob - he was two months older than Sebastian), meaning that they could stand at the sidelines and watch him immerse himself into what he knew and loved outside of his home life. 

Annie was leaning up against Jeff as they watched all of the kids scramble around in Jacob’s garden (or field - his parents were doing well it seemed), a table of chips, cake and other snacks, lovingly decorated on the far side. 

Jeff pressed a kiss to the crown of her hair as they dozed off, enjoying the last days of sunshine before the Fall kicked in.

“Wouldn’t it be cute if he had a sibling...?” Annie trailed off, not really thinking too much about what she was saying. They’d had a proper conversation about adding another family member to the Winger tree when Sebastian had turned one, deciding that they’d put it off until Annie knew what has happening at work for certain.

“Hmm.” Jeff agreed with a hum, making her turn and look up, her eyes wide as she pouted.

“We could just... take it easy... not plan anything, but see if anything happens?” Annie shrugged, knowing that it was probably best not to plan anything too much, seeing as it had taken them almost nine months to conceive with Sebastian. 

Jeff nodded for a moment before giving her hand a quick squeeze.

“You really want to do it? Not that I’m against it or anything but... you’re ready?”

Annie smiled and nodded before leaning back up against him, his hand still clasped around hers as she traced around the garden with her eyes, following Sebastian’s every move.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”


	78. “I want Mommy.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

One of the proudest moments for Annie other than becoming a mom and getting married, had to be receiving a promotion at the FBI HQ in Denver. It was still only a minor job but the fact that she was able to do what she’d (mostly) always wanted was enough to keep her fulfilled for the rest of her life, if she was honest. 

The only downside was the fact she was often away, leaving Jeff alone at home with Sebastian. Jeff had decided to put work on hold and become a stay-at-home dad for the first year or so, but seeing as he was enjoying the role, he was still taking on most of the responsibilities from day to day, even though Sebastian’s third birthday was in sight. (The plan was for Jeff to go back to part-time work within the next few months)

It wasn’t easy though, as much as he enjoyed it. Sebastian didn’t really understand why she had to go away so much, seeing as all the parents he knew had fairly local jobs meaning they were always at daycare to drop them off and pick them up. They’d tried to explain that it allowed for all the nice things they had in their lives, but that wasn’t really enough when all you really want is your mom to tuck you in at night. 

“I want Mommy.” 

Jeff sighed as he brushed Sebastian’s fringe from his face, pulling up his blanket so he would be warm in the night. Sebastian wrapped his arms around his ‘Dino’ toy which was his favourite stuffed teddy (a green crocodile - Jeff tried to remind him of the fact it wasn't a dinosaur, but Annie always shut him up saying he was allowed to call it whatever he wanted). 

“I know, I want Mommy too, but she’ll be back in three days. That’s only two sleeps, okay?”

Sebastian nodded before curling onto his side, receiving a kiss on the temple from his dad before he left the room. 

“I love you buddy, I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” Sebastian nodded as Jeff finally switched off the light and walked away. 

Although Sebastian didn’t know it, Jeff usually stood just outside the door to listen in for a while until he knew he was finally settled. 

_“Two sleeps, Dino.”_


	79. “We’re going to miss it…”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by thebestforensicpathologist ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

Jeff was dressed and ready, waiting by the door, calling Annie and Finn to come and get in the car. He was in a grey t-shirt and a pair of shorts, with a baseball cap in his hand that he was going to put on as soon as they left the house. 

“Come on, we’re going to miss it, I promised Sebastian we wouldn’t be late. We _have_ to be there on time.”

“I’m coming! It’s not me you should be shouting at, it’s Finn.” Annie cupped her hand at the back of his head as they walked past Jeff, out the door. He locked up behind them before speedily getting into the car, his baseball cap now firmly on his head as he drove away. 

Within fifteen minutes they were at Sebastian’s school, wondering down a path towards the baseball pitch which seemed rather deserted for a match day. 

“Jeff... are we late?” Jeff checked his watch before grinning.

“Nope, we’re _early.”_ Annie paused, not sure how to react. It was Sebastian’s first ever proper baseball game and neither Jeff nor Sebastian had been able to shut up about it for the past few weeks. Although Jeff preferred watching football, if his son was involved, he didn’t care _what_ sport it was. 

“I don’t know whether to be mad at you for getting us here an... what is it, an _hour and a half_ before the game? Or whether to squeal in awe because this is ridiculously adorable and I love you.” Annie chose to go with the latter, cupping Jeff’s face so she could pull him down for a kiss, ignoring Finn who was walking on ahead, moaning at their little public display of affection. 

“I didn’t want to miss it. He’s been waiting for this for weeks... _months_ even. I don’t want to let him down.”

“You’ll _never_ let him down.”

“I just hope he doesn’t get nervous and crack under pressure.”

“He’ll be fine. He’s Sebastian, he knows what he’s doing.” Annie squeezed his hand before catching up with her other son, pulling him for a hug with an arm over his shoulder.

Jeff stood back and watched for a moment before spinning his cap the wrong way around, walking up behind them to rejoin the conversation.

When the finally sat down in their seats (technically they weren’t the only ones there; there were a couple of other people milling about), Annie turned and recognised the switch up with his headgear.

“Dork.”

Jeff just turned and smiled.


	80. “Wait... is he walking?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

Annie was doing some work on her computer when it happened. Jeff was laying on the floor, his cheek in his hand as he rested on his side, watching his son carefully maneuver himself from end of the couch to the other. 

“Sebastian... Sebastian... look at me, turn around.. come here, come on... come to Daddy... that’s it... nearly... oh.. oh... ow.” Jeff watched as Sebastian fell down on his backside, pushing himself back up with no problems at all. 

“What are you doing?” Annie asked as she paused to take a sip of water.

“He was nearly there, he took about two steps towards me again.” Annie nodded before returning to her work. Sebastian had mastered the two steps earlier on in the week whilst they’d both been down on the floor.

“Come on buddy, try again... okay, this way, that’s it... go, go, go!” Jeff sat up a little straighter with hands up as Sebastian darted towards him, a teethy smile across his face.

“Dada!”

“Wait... is he walking? Annie! Come here, buddy! Ohhh, good job... Annie, Annie did you see that?” Jeff smiled as Annie turned around, watching Sebastian take his final step into Jeff’s arms. They both smiled at each other before Jeff scooped him up and wiggled him in the air.

“You’re walking! Ahh... grr, grr, brrrr.” Jeff blew raspberries into his neck before setting Sebastian straight again, waiting to see if he’d go any further without any help.

After fifteen minutes it was clear that Sebastian had achieved enough for the day as he cuddled up into Jeff’s arms, yawning to signal he was ready for bath and bedtime. Jeff yawned too. Maybe it was time for the whole family’s bath and bedtime...


	81. "I'm not scared."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

Even though he tried to avoid his age and the fact that he was a 55-year-old dad to two sons, one of eight and one of five, he’d decided to go along with Annie’s belated birthday gift - a family vacation the summer after his big birthday, so technically it didn’t count even though she was treating it like a big deal, which _it was not_. 

It was mainly for the boys though, because the vacation was a trip away that involved an adventure pack, giving them a chance to ‘walk in the trees’ and hike up a mountain (well, hike for Sebastian… piggy back for most of it for Finn) and swim with dolphins; that kind of thing. It was expensive, but when their faces lit up and Annie got the camera out, it made them realise what it was all about.

Perhaps Annie needed some more reassuring though, especially when Sebastian was clipped in behind Jeff on the balancing rope twenty feet above the ground.

“Please just keep him save, that’s all I need, _please_ just keep him safe!” Annie was standing down below them besides a tree, Finn resting his head against her leg as he squinted up at his dad and older brother.

“Annie, I can’t keep him much safer okay? He’s literally clipped onto a rope. All I can do is walk behind him. We’re on the _junior trail.”_

“That doesn’t mean anything! It’s a twenty-foot drop! He could _die,_ Jeff!”

“So could I?! But I’m not going to because I trust the safety regulations and my own common sense!”

Annie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, taking a deep breath before looking back up.

“Sebastian? Are you okay? Are you scared? Please don’t do it if you’re scared!”

“Mom! I’m eight, not six, okay? I can do this!” Jeff smirked before patting a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder.

“See? He’s not six, _mom!”_

“Yeah! Finn could do it too if he really wanted!”

“No, Finn is staying down here with me. He’s not old enough!”

In the distance they heard an excited wail which was coming from a small child, flying through the air on the zip line. Jeff tilted his head and pointed a finger.

“Pretty sure that kid is like three or something!”

“Ugh!” Annie threw her arms up in the air before taking the camera off her shoulder to take pictures.

“I love you!” Jeff called out in a sing-song voice, teasing her with a grin.

“Don’t try and win me back now!”

“Will I win you back if I do Superman on the zip line?!”

“No! I’m doing Superman! You’re not allowed to do Superman.” Sebastian turned and looked up at Jeff through a gap in his helmet straps.

“I can’t do Superman! What else shall I do to win you back?”

“You could be a chicken?!”

“I’m not being a chicken!”

“Well… a swan then!”

“A swan? Fine, very graceful!” Jeff floated his arms up and down, making the wobbly pieces of wood beneath his feet sway from side to side. Sebastian pushed on, stretching out his legs as far as he could to get to the next stopping point, looking down at Annie who was taking pictures. Jeff leaned in and rested his chin against Sebastian’s helmet.

“Get my good side.” He winked.


	82. "That's it."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

Potty training was one of the most tedious things Jeff had yet to do as a father, because he didn’t understand why Sebastian _couldn’t just sit on the damn toilet_ and do what he needed to do – oh wait, he did; his son was 3 years old and he didn’t understand how his body functioned yet, and his much more inspiring potty training mother was away at work whilst also half way through their second pregnancy.

So when Jeff was at home alone, even though he knew it had to be done, the last thing he wanted to hear was…

“Daddy, I need to go to the bathroom.”

Jeff sighed as he lent up on his elbows from where he’d been laying on his back against the floor, watching Sebastian toddle around his room, placing cars in a long line from his cot to the door.

“You need to go the bathroom? Are you sure?”

Sebastian nodded before putting his car down to stretch up to the door handle.

“Wait, wait, wait buddy. I’m coming.” Jeff stood up and opened the door, making sure Sebastian headed to the left rather than down the stairs which he was still learning to figure out without literally _abseiling_ down them.

Once they reached the bathroom, Jeff shut the door behind them and pulled out Sebastian’s toilet seat cover so he could sit on it comfortably.

“Right, so you know what to do right?”

Sebastian nodded as Jeff put him down once pulling down his pants and car printed boxers. _He really had a thing for cars._

“I’m going to wait right here, okay?”

Jeff leant up against the bath tub, crossing his legs over at the ankles, flicking up his wrist to check the time on his watch.

He zoned out for a couple of moments as Sebastian looked around the room, kicking his feet against the underside of the toilet.

“I’m doing it.”

“Huh?” Jeff looked up with raised eyebrows before scratching behind his ear, stopping to listen out for any kind of sign that he really _was_ doing it.

“I did it! Can I get down now?”

Jeff shook his head in bafflement before pushing away from the bath to peer down behind Sebastian, squinting his eyes only for them to shoot back open again.

“Holy… that’s it, buddy! High five!”

Sebastian reached a hand up above his head before standing on his feet, having his trousers pulled back up again after being cleaned up.

“Mommy’s going to be so proud of you, buddy.”

“Take a picture.”

“Take a picture, of what? I can’t now, I flushed it.”

“Ow.”

“I’ll let her know, don’t worry.”

“Okay. Can I have some chocolate?”

“For peeing?”

Sebastian nodded as he wiped his hands on a towel.

“Um, yeah, I guess so."


	83. "Do not come in."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

Although the Winger family didn’t celebrate Christmas for religious purposes, to make sure the kids didn’t feel left out compared to their friends, gifts were always left at the ends of their beds every year without fail, but having two sons under the age of 10 who are always curious and questioning _everything_ leaves very minimal time for them to actually keep things a surprise and under wraps – _literally._

“Mom…”

“Do _not_ come in Sebastian!”

Sebastian paused outside his parent’s room, squinting in confusion.

“Why don’t lock the door?”

Jeff paused with tape in his mouth before nodding to the side to turn around and flick the lock across the door.

“Done.”

“By the way, Finn said he doesn’t feel well.”

“What? When did he say that?” Jeff mumbled as he took the tape from his teeth, throwing it into the trash bag on the floor that was filled with scraps of wrapping paper.

“Just now.”

“Then why did you tell me to lock the door? I’m coming out.” Jeff flicked the lock back over before opening the door, brushing past Sebastian who burst into the bedroom, Finn following closely behind where he’d been hiding all along.

“Ah ha! I knew that was going to happen! Jeff you have to be more careful.” Annie held up a cardboard tube in front of her as she guarded the gifts on the bed which were covered by a blanket.

“Wait hang on a second, you two _tricked_ me? Why don’t you like surprises? We put in so much effort and you guys just want to ruin it? _Not_ cool.” Jeff shook his head before opening the door to push them back out.

“I’m locking it for real this time. Scream if there’s an emergency, if not… you come back in… me and your mom will embarrass you big time.”

Sebastian scrunched up his face and rolled his eyes.

“Gross, dad.”


	84. "I'm so happy."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/144113453730))** _

It was no surprise when the heavens opened and rain started to pelt down outside, rattling against the windows of their apartment. Thunder had been rumbling in the distance for a few hours, emphasising the fact that summer was nearly over. The first sign of rain, and Annie was up and out of the kitchen, dashing into their bedroom without explaining herself. 

She reappeared within five minutes, sporting a hoodie, running leggings and sneakers as well as a stack of Jeff’s gym gear in one hand. He squinted in confusion from the couch, before letting her drop the pile to his lap.

“Come on, we’re going for a run.”

“What? Are you insane? You’re going to go running in the rain? First of all, and I’m surprised you’re going against this; running in the rain is dangerous, especially in minimally gripped sneakers and _second_ of all, we’re? When did _I_ sign up to this?” Annie rolled her eyes as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. 

“Seriously? Why do you want to go running, _now?”_

“Because it will be fun! Plus we’ve both been inside all day and it’s been fairly humid so we should go and cool off.”

“I’m telling you - you’re insane.”

“Well you love me, so that must mean you’re insane too.”

“Ugh.” Jeff let her pull him up from the couch before slumped off back into their room, changing into a sports vest and shorts, as well as his grippiest pair of sneakers because at least _one_ of them had to have something to stop them from falling over. 

They made their way downstairs, Jeff mumbling an ‘I know’ to the elderly lady at the end of their floor who said something along the lines of, “You young things, going out in weather like this... crazy business”. 

Jeff stood back as Annie opened up the door onto the sidewalk, watching her cautiously step out into puddles. 

“You sure you want to do this? You’ll get cold and wet...” Jeff spoke in a sing-song voice, teasing her as she glared back and put up her hood. 

“Come on you big wuss.” She held out her hand, letting him follow her out into the open, rain soaking them within a matter of seconds.

“This is crazy!” Jeff called out over the booming echo of water. 

“I know!” He shook his head as she started to jog, keeping at a slow pace. 

They could already feel the burn of the cold in their lungs within two minutes, but luckily it was only one more right turn until the park, where they would find more shelter under trees. 

Jeff sped up when they reached the edge of the green, splashing a puddle as he ran past, regretting his attempt at soaking Annie even further, because the water ended up seeping into his sneakers and into his socks. 

He jogged backwards to face her, holding out his hands so she could steady herself when she caught up.

“You still think this was a good idea?!” 

“Chase you over there?” She diverted his question but he didn’t notice because her face perked up and her stance changed. 

“ _Chase_ me over...” Jeff sighed before turning on his heel and sprinting as fast as he could across the muddy grass, slipping slightly at one point but keeping himself upright due to pure motivation of beating her to it.

He could see that he wasn’t going to, but it would be a close enough gap that he could surprise her. The rain was painfully splashing in his face as he reached out his hands and tugged onto the back of her hoodie, wrapping his hands around his waist to hoist her up into his arms. 

“Ah! Jeff!” 

He sniggered before lowering her to the ground, just to the side of a tree so the rain wasn’t hitting them so hard. They were soaked through to the bone, their clothes wrinkled and creased where the fabric clung to their skin. 

“You look ridiculous.” Jeff shook his head, but a grin remained on his face, reaching up to his eyes which smiled and crinkled at the edges.

“So do you! You would hate your hair right now.”

“I _do_ hate my hair right now.”

Annie giggled, bringing her sleeves up to her face in attempt to wipe her face from raindrops... or tears. She couldn’t work out which was which as her brow creased and she stood forward and lent on Jeff’s chest. 

“Hey... what’s going on?”

“Nothing! I’m just... I’m so happy!” She shook her head and looked up at him, knowing there was nothing she’d ever been more sure about before. Jeff blinked as water trickled down onto his eyelids as she squinted down at her, his heart rate picking up again, but from something stronger than running across a field in the rain. 

“I’m _so_ cold.”

“Jerk.” Annie swatted at his chest before dropping her hands to shiver. 

“I’m also happy too. Something must be going well because nobody else would drag me out into the pouring rain to just... what? Stand and look at each other?”

Annie sighed, licking her top lip where water had collected.

“I just thought we could do with a refresh. I know you’ve been thinking about work and your job and... I don’t know, sometimes you just need to forget about it all... even if it does just mean doing something _insane.”_

Jeff nodded.

“Yeah... like this?”

He dropped his chin and lent downwards, cupping his hands around her face to pull her up into a kiss, the raindrops from their eyelashes dropping down in-between their noses. They stood wrapped around each other for as long as they could before they pulled apart and scanned the area for the nearest dry spot.

“We should probably run over to that coffee place and stay there until the rain stops, right?”

“At this rate we’ll be there forever, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”

Annie tilted her head in agreement before taking his hand and following him through the trees. She realised that’s why she’d been overcome with happiness; because they’d both follow each other everywhere, no matter what, even in the pouring rain and cold. It’s not even a question - they’d just follow. 


	85. “You deserve better than that.”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

He was physically shaking. For some reason, even though he was happy (like, genuinely happy - he’d forgotten what it felt like to wake up and actually look forward to at least _some_ parts of his day; the past few months had been some of the best in a long time), he was still worried. There was still fear within him; fear that it was all going to go wrong; fear that he wasn’t made for this and that it was all some kind of illusion to make him feel like he knew what love meant. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing, I don’t know what’s going to happen, I know I’m going to screw it up and you’re going to realise that you wasted time with me and I... you deserve better than that, you deserve better than me, and I really need to work out how to stop believing that. I know you want to be with me, but I need to know why.”

Annie was looking up at him as he glanced down at their feet, his chin trembling as his throat rippled with every swallow that he took. 

“Jeff... look at me.” He did look at her, because that was one thing that had always been easy. He could always look into her eyes, because somewhere deep within them there was this small spark which he’d labelled ‘Home’.

“I don’t know what I’m doing either. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but what I _do_ know is that you’re _not_ going to screw it up. I’ve made my decision. There’s no going back. I want to be with you... heck, I _need_ to be with you. We waited too long for either of us to look back and regret this decision. We’re _trying._ And if you seriously need to know why I want to be with you, then I’ll tell you. 

You’re kind and you’re smart, and you’re  _selfless_ and you’re caring, and you’re funny, and even if you try to deny it, you’re actually really weird and dorky and I _love_ that. I _love_ you, and I love the fact that when we’re together, we’re who we want to be. I’ve never felt that with anyone else, and... I’m hoping it’s the same both ways.

And, if it’s about everything else... then... you still have time. There’s nothing stopping you, I promise. You have to follow your gut, right?”

She could tell he’d zoned out slightly as he nodded slowly, his eyeline drifting off lower again. 

“Jef-.”

“If it is about everything else, do you still love me then?”

“Yes. Of course I do. If I’m telling you I love you, then you have to believe you’re worthy of it.”

“I think I need to get out of Greendale.”

Annie jolted her head back, surprised that was the statement he had to say in response.

“The job or the place...?”

“Both.”

“You want to move?”

“No, temporarily. Let’s go see Abed, and then I can think about the job too.”

“You want to go and see Abed? In... LA?”

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

“Erm... o...kay?”

“I love you.”

“I know. I love you too.”


	86. "IT'S HAPPENING!"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

Her bag was by the door and she was about to pop at any moment, but their child (still a phrase both of them found odd to say out loud, even though it felt perfect and incredible) was still making no attempts at making an appearance. 

They’d tried to the spicy food trick, the sex (Jeff’s idea - obviously) and every other idea that the internet had thrown at them, but baby Winger was still hiding away under maternity clothes instead of a swaddle. 

Jeff had never been more alert in his life, reacting to every possible moan and groan from Annie every time she moved. She’d been lifting herself up to move a pillow one night, scrunching up her face in discomfort due to the size of her bump, causing him to rush around to the side of the bed, his face full of concern as he asked, “Are you okay? How bad is it?”, believing it to be the beginning of her contractions. 

The noises she was emitting now however, could definitely be mistaken for contractions, because _technically_ they were. Well, practice ones, anyway.

“Ohh... okay, I’m fine... it’s actually not that _baaad.”_

Jeff was in the kitchen stirring some rice so he’d missed her first burst of pain as she sat on the couch, rubbing a hand over her belly. 

“Fifteen to thirty seconds... if I can talk through it then... I’m... _fiiine.”_

“What? Annie? Annie?” Jeff paused as his eyes widened, flicking to the door where her bag sat, full to the brim with hospital essentials.

“IT'S HAPPENING!” He blurted out, striding across the room to hold her hand, a look of determination across his face. 

“Are you okay? I should probably start counting right?”

“Wha...at? Jeff... it’s a practice contraction. It’s gone. It’s not the real thing.”

“But...”

“No buts. They’re getting ready. Any day now I’m sure, but I’m fine.”

A timer beeped in the kitchen, signalling that the rice was finished cooking. 

“Dammit.”

“You never know, the curry might work this time.”


	87. "Are you saying goodbye?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

“Can we go to the park and then come back and then Mommy can come home and then we go to the park again with Mommy and then we can all come back and have dinner and have a bath and then go to bed with Mommy and Daddy?”

Sebastian was rambling on as he grabbed hold of Jeff’s leg, looking up at him as they stood by the door, waiting for Annie to gather her things and get going to work.

“Maybe, buddy.”

“Ooookayyyy.”

“Okay I’ll probably be back by six, so I’ll see you then. I’ll text you if I have to come back late. You’re probably going to have to do his dinner earlier... don’t forget his blanket is in the wash and it will need drying.” Jeff nodded as Annie swung her bag over her arm and smiled tightly, her car keys and phone in one hand as she opened the door. 

“Um... are you saying goodbye?” He shrugged a shoulder before she stepped out. She sighed before dropping her bag again to reach down to Sebastian and give him a cuddle, accepting a sloppy kiss on the forehead. 

 _“Love you Mommy.”_ Sebastian whispered.

“Love you too.”

“Does Daddy get some love?”

Annie stood back up and smiled, reaching her arms up around Jeff’s neck, her breath warm against his ear.

“Love you, honey.”

“Mhmm, yeah you do.”

She rolled her eyes as she stood back, waving a quick hand to Sebastian before blowing kisses out the door. It clicked back in place, leaving just Jeff and his son all alone. 

“Can we go to the park, now?”

“Can I finish washing up, first?”

“But you said maaaaybeee.”

“Exactly, maybe means maybe; it’s not yes or no.”

“If I help Daddy wash up, can we go to the park?”

“Now _that_ sounds like a plan.”


	88. “Why are you holding our child like Simba?”

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

Annie was sat on their bed typing away at her laptop as Jeff wondered around in the kitchen, a six-month year old Sebastian in his arms as he waited for the coffee machine to finish up what it was doing.

“Who’s a big boy, huh? _Six_ months.” Jeff swayed him slightly, holding out a finger for Sebastian to clasp onto as he looked up at his dad, unsure of what to think.

“Ma ma ma.”

“Mama? No, I’m _da-da._ Daddy. Dada.”

“Mmm ma.”

“Dada.”

“Mmm ma ba.”

“Who’s Maba?”

“Ma ma mam.”

“Yeah you’re just speaking nonsense now.”

The coffee machine peeped behind them, so Jeff held out a hand and carefully pulled away the mug which was now full, ready to be delivered to Annie as she finished off some at-home work.

“Let’s go give this to Mommy then, yeah?”

“Da da.”

“Annie, I don’t think our son understands who’s who!”

“Why, what’s he saying?” Annie called as Jeff neared closer, entering the room to put down the coffee and kiss her on the forehead.

“Good question. What _are_ you saying?” Sebastian smiled back, flashing a single tooth that had recently cut through.

“What’s the time? I think he might be ready for a nap soon.” Annie asked, still focused on her laptop as Jeff busied away, only noticing that Sebastian was now up in the air when she took her first sip of coffee.

“Why are you holding our child like Simba?”

“Because it’s funny.”

“You better watch he doesn’t vomit all over you.”

“He won’t, he… haha, yeah…” Jeff paused to admire his son giggling from above, making Annie stop to smile too. They both smiled even wider as Sebastian paused to stretch open his mouth, his eyes crinkling up as he wiggled in the air, his hands clenched into fists.

“Yeah, I think you might be right about that nap.”


	89. "Why did you kiss me?"

_**Post-S3/S4 AU - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

Seeing as they were having to spend most of the summer together anyway, at least a good three times a week they whole group would end up at Apartment 303, all huddled around the TV to watch episodes of their favourite shows (usually one of their individual favourite shows each week – Jeff’s week being Law & Order, of course), or to rewatch classic movies they’d all seen a dozen times.

Everything was fairly similar each week; one person would bring drinks, one person would bring in some snacks or a couple of pizzas and the rest would bring their entertaining A-game, but there was one thing in particular that slowly changed and morphed. That being the fact that the couch was now just simply Jeff and Annie’s couch. It was only a two seater, but everyone now knew not to touch it with a barge pole, because that was where the two of them ended up cuddling up together.

This particular night, Jeff’s arm was around Annie’s shoulder as she pressed her cheek up against his chest, his thumb circling around on the sleeve of her sweater. Neither of them even noticed that the rest of the group had either gone home or slipped into their rooms until Britta groaned and lifted herself up out of her chair, dumping her empty beer bottle into the trash bag by the door.

“Ugh, see you tomorrow. Good night Abed! Good night Troy!” She called out, waving a hand in the air before closing the door behind her. Jeff pouted and shrugged his shoulder (the one Annie _wasn’t_ leaning on) before looking down at Annie who just so happened to be looking back up.

“And then there were two.” He murmured, receiving a sleepy giggle in return.

“Did you even watch any of it?” Jeff asked, his thumb still tracing a pattern on her arm.

“Yeah… maybe… just a little.” Jeff laughed under his breath, shaking her in the seat slightly, before realising that neither of them had made an attempt to move… and realising that if he dipped his neck down by just a small amount, he could nuzzle his nose against hers and meet their lips in the middle. He couldn’t deny he’d been wanting to do that for a while now. These days they were closer than ever, so he doubted she’d even be that surprised.

She yawned as she carried on looking up at him, rubbing a hand to her eye before settling back down. His eyes were flicking up and down her face, her own eyes soon doing the same thing as they slowly moved forwards towards each other, as if by a magnetic force.

Two years, she’d waited. Two whole years and now they were there, their lips pressed against each other, the tip of Jeff’s tongue teasing her, as if he wasn’t sure whether to go any further. It was possibly the softest kiss he’d ever given, and the softest she’d ever received.

Jeff’s eyes were now dark and full, his lips still parted as she drew back and raised an eyebrow.

“Why did you kiss me?” Annie almost whispered, her hand slowly slipping down his chest.

“I… well…” He frowned in confusion before leaning his head back, watching her remove her hand altogether.

“I thought… I wanted… I thought this was what I was supposed to, I wanted… I needed to do something but…” He snorted breathily at himself, “…congratulations Jeff, you’ve already screw-.”

Her lips were on his again and he didn’t need to know what was happening because all that mattered were his hands on her waist and her fingers at his neck and how she was pulling away by just a fraction to breath out,

“Okay.”


	90. "Duck."

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

Whenever they could, Jeff and Annie would pop Sebastian in his high chair and cook dinner together, making sure that their two-year-old son had enough entertainment to keep him busy (whether that be Jeff’s awful dancing to the music playing, a random cartoon on TV or a baby friendly app on the iPad).

“What are we making?” Jeff peered over Annie’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to the curve of her neck as she flicked through the pages of a cookbook to a clearly marked out page.

“Lasagne, but with all fresh ingredients.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Chop some tomatoes.”

“Got it.” He kissed her once more before heading to the fridge, pulling out a carton of small tomatoes, grabbing a sharp knife and a mini cutting board.

“What are you playing Sebastian?” Annie asked, looking up from where she was opening up some lasagne pieces.

“The pond game.”

“Interesting.”

“It is!”

It wasn’t long until Jeff started humming behind her, tuning out as she walked back and forth between the kitchen and Sebastian. He was _too_ zoned out this time though, as Annie cupped her hands around his neck and slowly slid them over his shoulders, making him shiver and jolt.

 _“Fuck…._ Annie, stop.” She stood back sheepishly as he held a finger to his mouth, glaring down at her as he tried to stop his fresh cut from bleeding.

“Duck.”

Jeff’s head had never whipped around so quickly as he looked over to Sebastian, pointing a finger at his dad.

“What did you just say?”

“Duck.”

“D... yeah, duck.”

Annie was the one glaring now, sticking her tongue to the inside of her cheek.

“Oops.”

“Yeah, _oops._ ”

“Quaaaaack.”

Jeff pouted as he watched Sebastian poke around on the screen.

“Why are you quacking?”

“There’s a ducky on the screen.”


	91. "Truth or Dare?"

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

Somehow Annie going away and taking some time to experience some things on her own had strengthened her friendship with Britta. Although the whole ‘Jeff thing’ was slightly awkward at times, the fact that Annie now had some more personal experiences under her belt, meant Britta could relate to her on a whole new level... even if she still got mocked for ‘living in New York’.  

When Jeff wasn’t sleeping over, or snuggling up to Annie in on the couch, or typing away on his phone in the background; they hung out, they had fun, they _went_ out... they caught up on all the things that the study group and Greendale had taken out of their friendship. So it was no surprise that one night they found themselves a bottle and half of wine in, playing a game of Truth or Dare. 

“Why do I even have to keep saying it? Truth or Dare?”

“Mmm... Dare.” Annie pointed a finger over the table before lifting her wine glass up to her lips, giggling slightly as Britta waved her hands about in the air trying to think of something. 

Her eyes caught onto some pictures of Troy and Abed when they were kids, hung up on the wall, left there so that they _had_ to come back to get them. Then she trailed her eyes along the wall to the coat rack, and tilted her head at the sight of one of Jeff’s coats; he’d started leaving more and more belongings in the apartment, because ‘it was easier’, even though he only lived five minutes away if he was ever in the middle of a wardrobe emergency. 

“Hmm... call Jeff... and... tell him... you’re.... pregnant? Yeah, do that.” Annie jolted her head back as Britta finished up her command. 

“I’m not doing that.”

“Why not? Come onnnn, it’s Truth or _Dare._ It’s not Truth, Dare and Wimp Out.”

“I’m not _wimping_ out. I’m just _not_ calling Jeff to tell him that... _anything_ but that.”

“Why not? Come on, give me one reason.”

Annie paused to settle down her wine glass, mumbling as if it was just a casual statement.

“Because Jeff wants kids and I don’t want to upset him.”

“What?! Jeff... wants... _kids?”_ Britta whispered the last part, smiling whilst scrunching up her nose at the thought. 

“Yes... okay?”

“Why would he get upset...? It’s just a dare.”

“Because... because he just would. I know it... he’d shut me out for a week and I don’t know... he’d get really mad at you too.”

“Okay...”

“Look, I know it sounds simple, but... he really does want them. Not right now, but if I told him I waspregnant, I know that he would _genuinely_ believe me and get used to the idea _very_ quickly.”

“Ugghhhh.”

“So... is there a forfeit?”

“I don’t know! I don’t plan ahead for these things! It’s Dare or Dare in my mind, in case you haven’t realised I haven’t said a single truth.”

Annie looked away in thought, thinking back to Britta’s previous answers. 

“Oooh yeah... right, your turn!”

“No no no, you can’t palm this one off on me!”

“Yep! Do you want kids? Come on, it’s only _fair,_ Britta.”

“Ugh, first of all, why _that_ question? Second of all, it is _not_ fair. It’s your turn, and you still haven’t called Jeff yet.”

“I’m not calling him. Just answer the question.”

“Ughhhh fine, I don’t know, maybe? One day, if I find some guy who... I don’t know, I’ve kind of always admired people who adopt...”

“Oooh!” Annie clapped her hands giddily before leaning on them, sighing slightly.

“Do _you_ want kids? With Jeff?”

“I... yeah... I guess... I don’t know, not right now. That’s the thing, I don’t want them _now_... and I can’t tell you how things will go with Jeff. Obviously I _want_ it to go well, and it is! It really is... so, yes... and yes, I do want kids with Jeff. I mean, how _cute_ would he be as a dad?”

“Ughhhhh. That’s a horrible picture, I don’t want to imagine it.”

“Oh come on! He’d be adorable...” Annie was pouting slightly, her eyes wide in adoration as she drifted off into slightly tipsy dream land.

“Okay, we need more booze.”

As Britta got up from the table, Annie kicked her feet up under herself and pulled out her phone from her pocket.

ANNIE: Love you!!!! 

Her phone buzzed less than a minute later.

JEFF: Love you 2. That’s a lot of !!!!

ANNIE: *wine glass emoji* I maybe tipsy

JEFF: R u going to need a hangover cure tomorrow?

ANNIE: Are you offering????

JEFF: I’ll c what I can do

ANNIE: Thank you!!!!

JEFF: I gtg to sleep 

ANNIE: It’s only 11!

JEFF: Some of us have to teach @ 8am

JEFF: And wake up even earlier 2 make sure their girlfriend isn’t 2 hungover

ANNIE: You don’t have to <33

JEFF: I know

ANNIE: I miss you!!!!

JEFF: I know, I miss you 2

ANNIE: Britta’s telling me to get off the phone

JEFF: Ok c u tomorrow

ANNIE: LOVE YOU

JEFF: LOVE YOU 2

ANNIE: Night night xxxx

JEFF: Sweet dreams

“Okay, ask me another Truth. I have vodka and I’m ready.”


	92. 1489 miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie Skype during the summer of her internship.

_**Post S6 - prompted by zacscottysnl** _

Jeff was leaning on his hand whilst he waited for Annie to settle her phone down on the small desk in her apartment – still a phrase he wasn’t quite sure whether to use, as he kept reminding himself it was just temporary and she only owned the clothes in the dresser. It was by a window but it was pitch black so she was only being lit up by a yellow tinted lamp by her side, her eyes glowing where the light reflected. She sighed as she finally sat down, pulling what he supposed was a plate towards her.

“Okay, I’m ready, I’m here, I have food and what I’m hoping is a good connection because last time it was all blurry.”

He blinked dopily at the screen, pouting as he analysed the quality briefly.

“It’s a _little_ blurry but I can still see everything I need to see.” He smiled before lifting his cheek from his hand to pick up his fork and start on his own plate of food that he’d been patiently waiting to start.

“What are you eating?” Annie asked, her voice coming across deeper than it would face to face, as it crackled through the speakers on Jeff’s laptop.

“Some rice and some chicken, which is basically all I eat.”

“Sounds nice.”

“What about you?” He was back to leaning on one hand as he ate with the other, not taking his eyes off of the screen, even to look at what he was eating.

“Pastha.” He huffed out a laugh as she lifted up her plate to the screen and finished chewing, only just avoiding a spillage as it clunked back down onto the surface.

“Nice.” She hummed in agreement before emptying her mouth to talk again.

“Speaking of nice… you look… nice.” Annie smiled shyly down at her plate, waiting for his response to her small compliment. He’d shaved off his beard since they’d last spoken, or at least since he’d last sent a picture. She wondered if it was all part of his plan to make some changes over the summer, which is something he’d mentioned. She wasn’t sure if that was a big change or a small one, but for somebody who focused on their appearance a lot and had been growing out his stubble for most of the year, she presumed so.

He bobbed his head and rolled his neck a little, using the hand he was leaning on to brush it down his face and rub across where his beard had been.

“Thanks.”

“You got rid of the beard.”

“I did… I’ll probably grow it back though.”

“Why? Do you miss it already?”

“No… well, kind of, it keeps my face warm.”

“It keeps your face _warm?_ It’s summer! You don’t need your face to be warm… that’s weird anyway.” She smiled with a slight cringe, shaking her head before taking a sip of water from the glass to her side, and continuing to eat.

“Well, what do you prefer? No beard or beard?”

“Erm… why are you asking me? Why do I care? It’s your face.” She waved her fork in the air, the motion catching on camera as the stream cut but soon returned to its smooth running, blurry self.

“I don’t know… you’re the one kissing me.” Jeff covered his hand even further, closing his eyes before opening just the one to see what she was doing.

“Oh really? Oh… well then, I guess I _do_ get to decide.” Even though his eyes were mainly pixelated rectangles, she could tell he was getting flustered just by the way he slouched forward and parted his lips.

“I’m just going to eat… it’s rude to eat with food in your mouth or whatever.” He did just that, cramming a chunk of chicken into his mouth before immediately regretting not downing some fluid first.

“What have you done recently besides shave off your beard, anyway?”

He swallowed before answering, sliding a wine glass across his dining table, bringing the rim up to his lips to talk. He was still drinking scotch but he was trying his best not to drink it in front of Annie because she’d slyly mentioned something one evening and he hadn’t been able to shake it from his mind ever since.

“Well… I… went to the gym and worked out a little…”

“Very productive.”

“Mhhm… and then I came home and I had a shower, and then I watched TV… and then… I watched some more TV and then I made my dinner, and then I waited for you to come online and well, now I’m _with_ you online.”

“So thrilling, you must be really proud of yourself.”

“Baby steps.” He sipped at his wine before yawning, scrunching up his nose and licking his lips a little as they closed back up.

“Well, I filed away some classified information… very exciting.”

“Oh yeah, did you take a look?”

“No! I didn’t, no. It was old stuff anyway, and nothing really _that_ important… well, that’s what I’d expect. I don’t think they’d let an intern handle anything about the president.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure they’d even let Annie Edison handle that… but then again, one day, you won’t need to handle it because _you_ will be the president.”

“I don’t want to be the president.”

“Yeah but you could totally do it… President Annie Edison, has a nice ring to it.” He yawned at the end of his sentence again, stretching out his arm to push his plate away and lean on his elbow in the new free space.

“A lot of things have a nice ring to them, but you have to actually put in the work… which I’ve been doing _all_ day; how are _you_ the one yawning?”

“Working out takes a lot of effort.”

“So does working from nine until five. I’m exhausted _and_ I’m two hours ahead of you.” She scooped up one final piece of pasta and picked up her phone, her stream wobbling slightly as her hands naturally shook.

“Why don’t you go to sleep then?”

“I think I will actually.” He didn’t realise she meant literally, as she stood up and walked over to her bed, dropping down onto her back, her hair flailing out in all different directions as she held her phone above her face.

“I think I might do the same.” She could see him stand and reach out for his wine glass which was out of shot a few moments later, whilst balancing his laptop in one hand. He strode across his living room in a blur of motion and then opened up his bedroom door, settling his glass back down on his night stand.

“It’s happening… I’m in Jeff’s bed.”

He snorted, not caring that his laptop was shaking as he plumped up his pillows and sat himself down with a heavy thump of the mattress.

“Well technically, you’re not. You’re sat in my lap.”

They both paused before laughing at each other, mirroring the same pose as they laughed into their hands, letting it die down to just enjoy the view of each other’s fuzzy smiles.

“I should go.” Annie’s voice was breathy and light now, and he knew that if he were laying besides her he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from kissing her breath away completely, until she let herself fall asleep altogether, curled up into his arms.

“Yeah.”

And _she_ knew that if she was genuinely sat in his lap, she wouldn’t do anything more than just cup his face in her hands and let him know that she was _there._

“I miss you.”  
“I miss you.”

And then they were laughing again.

 


	93. Even More Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rewrite of the finale scene because I’ve been thinking of writing this for a while after Dan (Harmon) said “I think, maybe Jeff should have said ‘I love you’.” This could be utter garbage, but... oh well. Enjoy!

“I let you go Annie… with my head, and my hands… the heart… wants what it wants; but I let you go…” He drew a shaky breath, his eyes not breaking from hers as they glossed over slightly, “…and I love you. I’m sorry if it doesn’t make sense… I don’t need you to say anything back. I know I’m a coward for not saying anything until now but I’m a coward in a lot of other ways and that’s one of the main reas-.”

His lips were unmoving on hers, his arms still down at his sides as her hands came up around his face, her fingertips cupping around his jaw, her thumb brushing the corner of his cheek. She pulled away and his eyes were still closed, and in that moment it didn’t _need_ to make sense and she didn’t _need_ to think about him saying it because she was leaving (for ten weeks, she reminded herself); she just needed him to know,

“I love you too… that’s all I ever wanted you to say. And you’re not a coward… I know you’re not.” She was almost whispering, her own tears now forming but not quite falling as she stood still, her hand still resting on his cheek.

“How long are you going for?” Was all he could ask, his eyes flicking across her face.

“Ten weeks.”

“That’s not too long.” She shook her head, breathing in before speaking again, her voice shy and small, ready to break at any moment.

“And we have phones and Facetime and Skype and everything… so it won’t be that bad.”

Jeff took his turn to shake his head, moving for the first time since she’d strode across the room and cut him off short. He moved his hand too, covering her own to move it, so he could mirror what she’d done to him, cupping his fingers behind her jaw, watching her eyes soften and a small smile tug at her lips.

He smiled too, because somehow, she managed to draw everything out of him, even a tear which he was trying to reign back in as he closed his eyes and pressed their lips back together, this time, both of them responded, their smiles still in place, both of them unaware that the rest of the group had arrived and backed away, once Britta had seen the two of them standing together intimately.

_“Woah, woah, woah, back up, back up…”_

_“Is that Jeff… are they… what on… absurd. I clearly don’t understand your group as well as I thought I did.”_

_“I predicted this… five years ago. Study room, Jeff and Annie… nice.”_

_“Ha, gay.”_

_“Jeffrey… how_ could _you?”_

_“Eh, we’ll let them have their moment. They deserve it or whatever.”_


	94. The way you said I love you: Over and over again, till it’s nothing but a senseless babble.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147404736685)** _

They were sat in their new apartment ( _their_ ), Annie in his lap as he lent back into the couch, his chin lifted upwards so he could see her as she pouted down at him happily, their hands intertwined mid-air. 

“Tell me you love me.” Jeff murmured, his eyes all droopy and his voice soft and low. He wasn’t quite there yet, but he was slowly on the mend after three days of moving things in and about, his energy levels at a low. 

“Tell you I love you?” Annie smile widened as he nodded, closing his eyes in one long bob of the head. 

“I love you.” Her voice was light and breezy and with his eyes closed, it didn’t matter where they were, home was only home when he could hear it. 

“Say it again.”

“I love you...?”

“Again.”

“I... love... you...? Why am I doi-.”

“And again.” He still had his eyes closed at this point, his speech almost slurred on purpose as he swayed his head left and right. She giggled, bouncing above him slightly. 

“I love you... I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, IloveyouIloveyouIlo-.”

He captured her lips with his own and pulled away barely a millimeter to say, “I love you more.” 


	95. The way you said I love you: Over a beer bottle.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147404736685)** _

Jeff had a lot to thank his two boys for, mainly for bringing him endless joy, but also for bringing him the opportunity of meeting other dads... which he never thought he’d be thankful for, but honestly, having something in common with someone that wasn’t being a lawyer (or former lawyer) or Greendale (both the place and the college) was really quite refreshing. 

He has even more to thank for when there’s good food along with that good company, as well as good weather. The sun was beating down, it was the middle of summer, and he had a cold beer in his hand (he only really drank for pleasure these days) and Annie by his side as she nattered on to Mike (his (what he’d like to define as) best friend)’s wife, Jo, about something mundane and motherly. 

When it came to dad talk, it was mainly about soccer practice and Nerf gun wars and whether either of them had spotted the first signs of adolescence in their sons (Sebastian was almost 13 - which was a really scary thought when Jeff thought about it long enough). They also spoke about _real_ soccer and the latest Rockies score and anything else which could keep the conversation flowing for hours. Before they knew it, they were 3 and a half beers in, their stomachs full with barbecued meat (Jeff was still jealous of Mike and Jo’s grill) and their minds hazy in the best possible way. 

Annie’s hand was on Jeff’s shoulder as she turned and lowered her voice, peering behind them to where a group of boys were standing at the end of the lawn. 

“Jeff, where are the boys?” He snorted and laughed into the rim of his beer bottle, not watching Annie as she realised he wasn’t laughing at his question, rather he was laughing at something he’d just been discussing with Mike.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged in amusement, gulping back more beer as she rolled her eyes. 

“You don’t know where your kids are?” Mike added in, chuckling at Jeff too, his own beer up to his mouth. 

“I don’t know, they’re somewhere.” Jeff waved his bottle over his shoulder, catching glimpse of Annie who didn’t look at all impressed. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, watching her eyes close for a second before he pulled away and slouched back again.

“They’re old enough. They’ll come back... they probably just went around the back or something.”

She sighed before climbing over the bench they were sat on to scurry over to the group on a hunt. She heard Jeff call out, “Love you!” before laughing again and responding with “Yeah, I think we are.” when Mike asked, 

“So, Seb tells me you’re getting a dog?”


	96. The way you said I love you: With a hoarse voice, under the blankets.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147404736685)** _

With Annie’s knowledge of blanket forts being fairly broad since her days living with Troy and Abed, it wasn’t a rarity to find blankets and pillows stacked and hung up in the living room, screeches and giggles coming from within. There was always a high point too, where the fabric draped from a hook on the wall so that when Jeff eventually did join them, it didn’t collapse from his head brushing past - _the them being Annie; just turned five year old Sebastian and almost two year old Finn._

Once he was in though, he was down at their level and was able to scramble around in the pillows whilst picking up stray feathers so that Finn didn’t start chomping down on them. After all the work of constructing the thing, Annie usually sat out with an amused smile on her face, watching her three favourite people joke around. 

Jeff would usually catch her eye and wink, either over his shoulder or beneath Finn’s legs which dangled above him as he held him up in the air. This time though, he propped his son back down before crawling over to where Annie was sat, staying on all fours to rest his forehead against her own. 

“I love you.” He breathed out, his voice husky and low as he smirked and crawled back away, returning just in time to save Finn from pulling a blanket out of it’s place. 

“You little rascal.” Jeff roared into his shoulder before widening his eyes as Annie exclaimed, “You’re all little rascals and I’m coming to get you!”


	97. The way you said I love you: On a post-it note

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147404736685)** _

Jeff totally forgot one morning that Annie had an early interview for a new job, so when he rolled over and stretched out an arm to curl around her hip, all he found was the edge of the mattress. He peeled open an eye, swallowed to take away the dryness in his mouth and crooked up his neck to look around the room; his hair spiked up all on one side. 

He stilled, making sure the duvet didn’t rustle so he could hear if she was in the kitchen or tiptoeing around the bathroom in her socks. She wasn’t though, he realised... his point being proven even further when he called out and had no response. He glanced at her side of the bed where her nightstand was and let out a low grumble at the fact that her phone wasn’t there, which meant she really had left him all alone.

He decided checking his _own_ phone was the best next move, so he rolled over and picked it up off of the floor where it was charging, turning it the right way around, his brain still not fully awake as he went to type in his code, only to finally realise that there was a neon yellow square blocking his view and the touch screen function. 

He breathed a sigh of relief as he read her curly writing,   
 _“I didn’t want to wake you. There’s some pancakes left out, please don’t waste them! I love you <3″_

He laughed at himself, peeling the paper away only to stick it down on the back of his phone, his fingers curling over it as he finally unlocked the screen. He laughed once more as he noticed his background had changed to one of them lying on their backs in his old apartment, taking a breather from moving his stuff out into their humble abode, their tongues stuck out, Annie’s blurred in motion as she attempted to stick hers in his ear. 

“I love you too.” He whispered. 


	98. The way you said I love you: As a thank you.

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by heyprofessorwhitman ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147404736685)** _

He’d texted her in the morning to invite her over for the evening(/whole weekend) and she’d been pretty certain as to why, but the dark blue lacy lingerie set she had underneath her blouse and skirt all of a sudden felt rather inappropriate when she opened the door and Jeff fell forward, wrapping his arms around her like he was never going to let go. 

Even two hours later, with his head resting beside her hip, her fingers in his hair and a book in her lap, she wasn’t quite sure what had brought on his sudden rush of emotions, but she’d picked up on what she could. He’d made it very clear it was nothing to do with her, and that all he needed was for her to ‘Please just stay, don’t go’. She knew what it was like though; sometimes you don’t really know what sets you off but all of a sudden you’re in a sudden slump of over thinking and anxieties and you just need someone to be there.

He mentioned something about work and ‘not-knowing’ and the word ‘depression’ may have been thrown around, but it was mainly in a delusional slur and through shaky breaths that were holding back tears welling up in his eyes. 

She could see over the corner of her book that his jaw was still clenched, so she moved her left hand from the crown of his head to his cheek, tracing a light trail from his ear to his chin. It wasn’t until he moved slightly that she realised his eyes were still open and were focused on the page she was holding open. She smiled to herself and carried on reading, finishing up the last line before waiting a moment to flick to the next one. 

At the end of the chapter, she glanced and saw that his jaw was unclenched and his eyes were slightly closed. 

“Are you finished?” He asked. She could tell his eyebrows were raised by the way his forehead wrinkled up. 

“Yep.”

“But aren’t you going to find out if it was her?” 

She shook her head and she knew he could hear and feel her respond when he bobbed his head and shifted, the underneath of his eyes red, and his cheek imprinted with the side of her skirt he’d been laying on. 

“I love you.” He half smiled. 

“I know... and you’re going to be okay.”

“I’m just tired.”

“Of everything?”

He nodded. 

“But just for today right?”

“Just for today.”

When she slipped under the covers and curled into his side; he believed it.


	99. Flirty + drunk (text)

_**Post-S6 (Summer 2015) - Prompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147855532845)** _

_JEFF:_ I need to stop going out with Britta it’s impossible not to drink / drunk

 _ANNIE:_  Do you mean ‘get drunk’?

 _JEFF:_  Both

 _ANNIE:_ Your texts are confusing sometimes...

 _JEFF:_  I’m @ home + have consumed 2 much beer excuse my messages just this once

 _ANNIE:_  You do realise it’s 2am here, right?

 _JEFF:_ Sorry

 _ANNIE:_ It’s okay, I hadn’t fallen asleep yet. 

 _JEFF:_ What are u doing?

 _ANNIE:_ I’m in bed about to fall asleep.

 _JEFF:_ I want 2 be in bed 2

 _ANNIE:_ Why aren’t you then?

 _JEFF:_ No I want 2 be in ur bed

 _ANNIE:_ Oh really? You know, it’s not that comfortable. It’s only a single and it’s pushed right up against a wall. 

 _JEFF:_ Walls have uses

 _ANNIE:_ Oh  
_ANNIE:_ What kind of uses?

 _JEFF:_ I’d have 2 to show u

 _ANNIE:_  Shame. I really wanted to know why walls are so useful. 

 _JEFF:_ What are u wearing?

 _ANNIE:_ I have now come to the conclusion that you really did drink ‘2 much beer’ and are going to cringe at these messages when you wake up tomorrow.  
_ANNIE:_ But if you really must know... some shorts and a bra which I have yet to take off.

 _JEFF:_ Now I really want 2 be in ur bed

 _ANNIE:_ Too bad you’re not in DC. 

 _JEFF:_ I no

 _ANNIE:_ Don’t you mean, ‘I know’?

 _JEFF:_ Way more sexy when u don’t correct my messages  
_JEFF:_ Let me guess ur a terrible sexter  
_JEFF:_ U probably correct typos even then

 _ANNIE:_ You’re*

 _JEFF:_  Stop

 _ANNIE:_ Good idea, Mister! I need sleep, and so do you. 

 _JEFF:_ Fine

 _ANNIE:_ When you read this in the morning, I hope your hangover isn’t too bad. But for now, good night! I’ll talk to you tomorrow :)

 _JEFF:_ Future Jeff says thx

 _ANNIE:_ Future Annie says I miss you :)

 _JEFF:_ Current Jeff says I miss u 2

 _ANNIE:_ Goodnight *heart emoji*

 _JEFF:_ Sweet dreams


	100. Flirty + drunk (text) #2

**Post S6 (Sometime in the distant future - ‘[Mike](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6211255/chapters/17017653)’ is from this prompt) -  _ **Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147855532845)**_**

_JEFF:_ Mike got me slightly drunk so now I’m home and I really fucking miss you. 

 _ANNIE:_ Aww, I miss you too! But bad parenting! You better still make the kids breakfast in the morning...

 _JEFF:_ Sebastian’s 13, he can deal with it

 _ANNIE:_ Jeff...

 _JEFF:_ Not going to lie, I didn’t message to talk about the kids. 

 _ANNIE:_ I thought you messaged because you were drunk?

 _JEFF:_ I did, but I’m also very horny and you’ve been away for two weeks. 

 _ANNIE:_ I’m back in 2 days :) 

 _JEFF:_ I need you to come back sooner than that. 

 _ANNIE:_ I’m too irresistible, aren’t I?

 _JEFF:_ After all these years, I’ve taught you well. Look how very unmodest you are. 

 _ANNIE:_ Ooh speaking of all these years! I was thinking we could book a night away for our anniversary... unless you had other plans? 

 _JEFF:_ A night away with no kids? Don’t even have to ask. 

 _ANNIE:_ You just want a night of sex. 

 _JEFF:_ Exactly. 

 _ANNIE:_ That’s why you married me! You only love me for my body.

 _JEFF:_ Says you! I’m 59 and you still look at me like I’m a god. 

 _ANNIE:_ I would say you’re vain, but really... I agree. I have a very sexy husband and I’m booking that night away as we speak. 

 _JEFF:_ I think we need to stop texting right now. I need to hear and see you. 

 _ANNIE:_ 2am and I have a meeting tomorrow...

 _JEFF:_ Can I persuade you? 

 _ANNIE:_ Nope. 2 DAYS and then I’m all yours. 

 _JEFF:_ Ugh, everything really does come back to the kids because you have to give them some attention too. Sebastian wants you to go to soccer practice when you’re back. 

 _ANNIE:_ I know, and I will :)

 _JEFF:_ Go to sleep then Mrs. Call you tomorrow.

 _ANNIE:_ Night honey! Love you lots xx

 _JEFF:_ Love you too gorgeous x


	101. Love (text)

**Post S6 (Summer 2016)- _ **Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147855532845)**_**

_JEFF:_ Your rule of not staying over before we move in was really stupid. 

 _ANNIE:_ Why? It’s a great rule.

 _JEFF:_ No, because I miss you. I don’t understand why you can’t be here right now. 

 _ANNIE:_ Because it will make it more exciting when we finally do! It’s only a week... but I miss you too :)   
 _ANNIE:_ We’re really sad, aren’t we? We’re literally 5 minutes away from each other. 

 _JEFF: I_ don’t need reminding of how sad I am. 

 _ANNIE:_ Aw you’re just shy because you love me so much ;)

 _JEFF:_ The even sadder fact is that it’s true. 

 _ANNIE:_ Aww, you’re sweet sometimes :)

 _JEFF:_ I’m sweet all the time.

 _ANNIE:_ Don’t make me remind me of all the times you’re not. 

 _JEFF:_ Don’t make me do the same about all the times you’re not so sweet.

 _ANNIE:_ :(

 _JEFF:_ Love you 

 _ANNIE:_ Love you too and I can’t wait to move in so we never have to spend a night apart again :)

 _JEFF:_ Except from whenever you inevitably have to leave me for your presidential duties.

 _ANNIE:_ You’d be my First Man. You’d follow me wherever I went anyway!

 _JEFF:_ And I will even if you’re not the President. 

 _ANNIE:_ Stop being so sweet otherwise I’ll have to break my own rule!

 _JEFF:_ That’s it, I’m coming over. 

 _ANNIE:_ Britta will kill you.

 _JEFF:_ Worth the risk.


	102. Drunk (text)

**Post S6 (Summer 2015) - _P_ _ **rompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147855532845)**_**

_JEFF:_ I’m drunk can u drive me home

 _ANNIE:_ I’m in DC...? Are you okay? 

 _JEFF:_ Yes

 _ANNIE:_ Are you sure?

 _JEFF:_ No

 _ANNIE:_ I’m calling you. 


	103. Accidental (text)

**Post S5 - _P_ _ **rompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147855532845)**_**

_JEFF:_ I

 _ANNIE:_ Did you hit enter too soon? :)

 _JEFF:_ Sorry, ignore it

 _ANNIE:_ Okay weirdo!

 _JEFF:_ It was an accident

 _ANNIE:_ You accidentally typed in my name and sent a single letter?

 _JEFF:_ Yes

 _ANNIE:_ Abed wants to know if you’re coming over for movie night? 

 _JEFF:_ No sorry not 2night

 _ANNIE:_ Okay. See you soon then!

 _JEFF:_ Sure

(2 hours later)

 _ANNIE:_ Is everything okay? 

 _JEFF:_ Don’t worry about it

 _ANNIE:_ If the ‘I’ wasn’t an accident, you know you can tell me right? 

 _JEFF:_ I know

 _ANNIE:_ Goodnight Jeff xx


	104. Accidental (text) #2

**Post S3/S4 AU- _P_ _ **rompted by Anonymous ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/147855532845)**_**

_JEFF:_  Do you wan

 _ANNIE:_ My phone is asking if I want to translate your message... but I’m going to ask if you meant to send something half finished or not?

 _JEFF:_ Sorry, I hit the enter key too soon.

 _ANNIE:_ Well...

 _JEFF:_ Are you in?

 _ANNIE:_ At home? 

 _JEFF:_ Yes

 _ANNIE:_ Yes...

 _JEFF:_ I’ll be over in 10. 

 _ANNIE:_ Why...?

 _JEFF:_ I was going to ask via text but I kind of need to do this in person.

 _ANNIE:_ Okay mysterious man...

(2 hours later)

 _ANNIE_ : _t go on a date with me?_

 _JEFF_ : ? Pretty sure I just asked you that question and you said yes. 

 _ANNIE:_ I was finishing your sentence :)


	105. Kiss.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on: "Imagine your Smol and Tol otp where Tol is doing push-ups and Smol is lying under them so they are more motivated to stay up on their arms and keep going and sometimes when they push down they get a peck on the lips (and then Tol gets tired and collapses heavily on top of Smol, smushing them while they flail)"

**Post-S6 (Summer 2016) - _P_ _ **rompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/148042385265))**_**

“It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so I guess that ruins our picnic plans.” Annie sighed, rolling onto her back from how she’d previously been lying on Jeff’s bed; her feet kicked up in the air, flicking up and down as she swiped through pages on _his_ phone which he’d left on his pillow.

“That’s… a… shame.” Jeff breathed out between pumps of his arms, his hair poking up from the corner of the bed every time he pushed upwards. Annie rolled back so she could see him more easily.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah... why... are you asking?” He raised his eyebrows slightly as he pushed himself up once again, his forehead creasing.

“Because you’re doing loads of push-ups and from what I’ve learnt... that means you’re distracting yourself from something.”

“Well... you... learnt wrong... but...” He grunted slightly, making Annie roll her eyes at the amount of effort he went into maintaining his physique and fitness, even though it was quite obviously already maintained enough. 

“But...?” She asked, reminding him of the fact he’d been mid-sentence. 

“Come here.” He pushed up one last time before pulling himself off the ground into a squatting position so he could tap the floor with the palm of his hand.

“I am _not_ doing any push-ups. That’s one thing I’m happy in accepting I can’t do.”

“No dummy, lay down.”

“Why...?” She’d locked his phone and thrown it down in front of her, squinting her eyes in concern. 

“I want to try something.” Annie rolled her eyes again before rolling to the edge of the mattress to turn and crawl down onto the carpet. 

“Lie down so you’re facing me.”

“What are you doing...?” She was still squinting, but she lowered herself down anyway so her legs were between his own. 

“I’ll be able to do more if I have a motivation.”

“Wait... what? This isn’t some kind of weird s-.” He pecked her lips and rose above her again, before dropping back down to do just the same. She closed her eyes instantly and her smile turned into a laughing one as he carried on. 

“I also now have a way to keep track more easily.”

“You’re such a d-,” _Kiss._ “-ork, you know that?”

He ignored her, but continued, his eyes shutting every time his lips reached hers, and anytime he lost a bit of grip and re-positioned his hands by a fraction.

“Other than the counting and ‘motivation’; how is this helping again?”

“Well, unless you want me to crush you, I have to hold myself up for longer.”

“Right...”

She shook her head a little, her hair jostling as it splayed out underneath her. 

And then her hands were gliding up his arms and smoothing over his shoulders where a couple of veins were showing through and a couple of beads of sweat were forming, and it was enough to make any man weak - he had an excuse that he was tired though, so when he dropped down and used his legs to roll them over so that she was on top, he let out an exaggerated puff of air and called it a day. 

“All for you, you get that right?”

She slid off and curled a hand over his bare waist, her cheek pressed up against his heart so that she could hear every beat. 

“That’s really silly, you get that right?”

“Uh... no. Pretty sure you’re not meant to complain.”

“I’m not... I’m just saying you’re perfect no matter what.”

His chest had settled from rising up and down rapidly, but it rose a little higher when she breathed against his skin and smiled down at their hands which were now intertwined. He glanced to the window in the corner of the room and could just about make out tiny trickles of water from the rain that Annie (or his phone) had predicted. 

“Let’s go see a movie tomorrow. Scrap the picnic, we can go watch that new Ghostbusters reboot and get a take-out or something.”

“Really?” She tilted her head and watched him look back down through her lashes. 

“Really.”


	106. Forty-six years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I like to call a ‘Washing Up Ficlet’ because I literally wrote it/thought it up whilst washing up dishes. To be honest, if I wrote every fic/idea that came to my head whilst washing up, I’d have about 10,000… but most of them would just be really domestic conversations and flirtiness between Jeff and Annie, with a dash of Sebastian (and my headcanon/his brother, Finn) thrown in. You’ll probably find this boring too but I just realised that if one of his kids ever said “I hate you”… Jeff could quite possibly believe it(?).
> 
> Also - Jeff washes up, so - now you know the inspiration behind that part.

**Post-S6 (Roughly 2034)**

“Sebastian you have _got_ to stop.”

“Errr! I _HATE_ YOU! I HATE YOU!” He was looking away now; his face scrunched up into a moody frown, his shoulders heaving up and down as he flared his nostrils and glared at the carpet. 

There was part of Jeff that knew he should be pointing a hand and waving Sebastian off into his room, but all he could do was stand still and let the weight of his son’s words set in. Even if it had been thrown at him with no meaning, as an off the cuff remark, there was something about how Sebastian was now looking away and not meeting his eyeline that had Jeff throwing himself back to when _he_ was his age; 13, awkward, moody, not quite old enough to know what on earth was going on but still thought he knew it all... except from the one fact he did know for sure - he hated his dad, and still did, forty-six years later. 

So what if Sebastian did know that one fact? What if, after thirty minutes of barking back and forth with snide remarks and actually rather strong arguments, it had finally clicked? 

“Sebastian, go to your room.” 

They both finally looked up from a moment of thick tension filled silence to see Annie standing behind Jeff; her hair tied up into a messy bun to match her pyjamas that she was already wearing even though it was only six o’clock in the evening. 

“I don’t wan-.” Sebastian mumbled but it went nowhere.

“Go to your room.”

His eyebrows were arched as he looked up through his lashes, still avoiding his dad. 

“Now.”

Somehow it was easier for him to succumb to his mom’s commands, but then Jeff realised how easily _he_ himself succumbed to her, so he let it slide and tried not to add it to yet another thing he was currently over thinking. 

“I’ll talk to him,” Annie sighed between speaking, “you go check on Finn and just... I’ll deal with it.” She brushed a hand down Jeff’s arm before stepping forward and slowly opening Sebastian’s door at the end of the hall, slowly inching herself in before it clicked behind her. 

Before going to check on his other, not yet a moody teenager son, Jeff took two deep and slow breaths, biting his lip as he overheard the beginnings of a conversation through Sebastian’s door. It took him a lot of willpower to not stay and eavesdrop, but then he remembered there was dishes to be done, and after living with Annie for the past nineteen years, her stress relief washing up routine had kind of rubbed off on him.

So he did just that.  
He washed and scrubbed and wiped, and tried not to think about how he could be dealing with things better than he was. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Sebastian...” Annie pushed his bedroom door open and pressed up against it silently as it shut behind her. 

“Go’way.” He was lying face down into his pillow - the case of which was covered in galaxies and stars and the odd rocket here and there.

“I’m not coming in here to tell you off, okay? I promise.” She padded across the room and perched herself on the end of his bed, tracing a pattern with her finger across the matching space themed duvet set. 

“All he ever does is tell me off. I didn’t do anything wrong. He never tells Finn off for anything.” He was sat up now, his head still drooping and his eyes still fixed into a glare. All she wanted to do was reach out and stroke away the crease between his brow, but she knew it wouldn’t do much anymore. 

“He’s not meaning to... I promise... it’s just this week... it’s not the time for all of this.”

“What d’you mean?”

She’d been making a promise along with Jeff not to bring anything up so they avoided passing stress onto the kids, but she trusted the fact that Sebastian was now mature enough to handle the tougher situations, so she let it go and put things into perspective for him.

“We weren’t going to tell you because we didn’t want to worry you, because currently, there _is_ nothing to worry about, but you can never know how these things are going to play out... so... well... Grandma’s not feeling very well, so Daddy’s been really on edge and he _is_ worried, and then I’m going away tomorrow, and I’m going out of the country so it’s just... it’s all bad timing and it doesn’t help things.”

“Grandma’s sick?” Annie watched as Sebastian’s frown faded and morphed into a pout of concern. 

“She’s just not feeling well, okay? She’s...” He looked up at as Annie paused and clasped her hands together in her lap, “...she’s going to be fine. We just have to be strong as a family, and especially with Dad, because... when he gets stressed, he becomes really sensitive and so... _yeah_ , he might get mad at you for what might seem like a silly reason, but it’s just his way of dealing with it. And then of course... he doesn’t really want me to go away with all of this is going on, but it’s a really important opportunity and I can’t miss it.”

“Oh.”

“And also... on top of all of that... I know you didn’t mean it because I know how much you love him, but... when you say things like ‘I hate you’... well...” Annie sighed again, letting her shoulders droop down to the same level of Sebastian’s, “...he knows what it feels like to _genuinely_ hate his dad, and I _know_ you don’t, but when he hears that, with all of this going on... it just... he needs you. You’re his friend. You and Finn are his _best_ friends and he’s so proud of both of you and he’s _so_ proud to be called your dad, so sometimes when we _do_ fight and we _do_ have stress going on, he just needs reassurance that he’s also _your_ best friend. 

You’re basically a young adult now, or at least you’re becoming one so... I’m not going to tell you what to do, and it’s totally okay to have your own opinion but sometimes it’s best to just let things go.”

He was flicking his head a little to get his hair out of his eyes as he shuffled and lifted his head to the wall, taking everything in.

“So what are you going to do?” Annie asked, looking him and up and down and holding down a smile at the fact that she was sat with her 13 year old son who was already the same height as her and still growing. 

“Say sorry.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded before slouching into a side hug, Annie’s arms coming up to stroke the side of his face and brush up against his arm. 

“I love you and he loves you too. Don’t worry about fighting just... we’ll forget about it for now and move on, okay?” He stood and nodded once again, already on his way to the door. Once he was out, she took a moment to look around his room up at the posters and framed pictures, and a pi-.

“Baz! What is that pile of clothes?!” Her eyes widened as she shook her head and called out, sticking her tongue into the side of her cheek. 

“I’ll put it away in a minute!” He called back, his voice trailing as he walked downstairs into the living room where Finn was sat, flicking around on the Playstation.

“Where’s Dad?”

“Kitchen.” Finn tilted his head back in the direction of Jeff, and carried on staring at the screen. Sebastian sighed and caught his dad’s attention from the corner of his eye as he finished cleaning up one last glass. He put it down on the drying rack and wiped his hands with a cloth.

“Hey. Look, I’m sorry for shouting at you... you didn’t deserve that, so I’m sorry.”

“I don’t hate you.”

Jeff followed Sebastian with his eyes, dropping them to his chest as he wrapped his arms around him for a hug. Jeff lowered his chin and all he could think to say was,

“I know.”

“Maybe when Mom’s away we can go see Grandma to cheer her up.” Jeff frowned in confusion before looking up to see Annie leaning up against the door frame, her arms crossed and a weary smile on her face. 

 _“You told him?”_ Jeff mouthed. 

 _“A little bit.”_ Annie gestured the ‘little bit’ in the air. Jeff blinked in acknowledgement before dropping his chin back down to the messy mop of brown hair beneath him. 

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Baz, I beat your high score!” Finn was in the room too now, his controller in hand as he stood next to Annie with a smile on his face and his head held up high. 

“Good job buddy.” Jeff grinned as Sebastian pulled away from their hug.

“Hey!” Sebastian shook his head before walking over to his brother and grabbing the controller.

“Looks like you’ve got competition now.”

“Yeah, only between Finn, because you’re awful at that game.”

“Erm... no I’m not.”

Annie smirked and laughed as they all wandered back into the living room, a hand at Jeff’s back as she whispered up to him.

“I’m going back up to sleep, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll be up in a sec.”

She rubbed his back one last time before dashing up the stairs.

“How about, when Mom goes away this week, we have a tournament to see who’s _really_ the best at that game.” Jeff suggested, his hands in his back jean pockets.

“Fine, but there has to be a prize.” Finn nodded in agreement with his brother.

“Sure. What do you want?”

“Erm... the winner gets the best and biggest souvenir from Mom.”

“Fine. Deal.”

They both nodded before turning back to the TV, leaving Jeff to shake his head and make his way up the stairs.

“You do realise you just missed out on an opportunity to win money, right?”

They shrugged in synchronization. 

“So...? Mom’s going to _London.”_ Finn added.

“Alright, whatever.”

He turned and continued up the stairs, leaving them to natter and play among themselves. Annie was already curled up under the sheets with the blinds all closed and the lights all off once he entered their bedroom, leaving him to lay on top of the covers and allow Annie to slide an arm over his chest so she could settle. 

He checked his phone for any messages but as he did, her hand moved further upwards to press his arm down and turn it off for him. 

“She’s going to be fine. It’s what us _Wingers_ do right? We’re fine.”

He smirked and kissed her forehead before slouching down even further, trying to ignore the suitcase zipped and ready on the floor, the voices still trickling up from downstairs and the light still attempting to make its way through the windows. 

“You’re not your dad. You’re _there_ for them. You’re _their_ dad... so just think about that this week okay? Think about _yourself.”_

“I’m just going to be thinking about you.”

“Well... that’s a start.... I guess?”

He huffed out a laugh, kissing her once again, but more to reassure himself than her. 

“Oh by the way, you’ve got to get a _super_ fancy souvenir for the kids.”

“Super fancy? Are we talking Buckingham Palace standards or something from a tacky gift shop?”

“Knowing them... I think a tacky gift shop will do.”


	107. Believable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a prompt for 7 Minutes In Heaven a while ago and I've had this idea in my mind ever since. As the Dean said dressed as a peanut bar - I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS (or is)!

**Sometime during mid-Season 5 (possibly after Troy’s departure as he isn’t mentioned)**

Jeff nudges his toe against the edge of the bath tub and huffs out a sigh, because he’s currently on the floor of Abed and Annie’s apartment, with Annie herself by his side, waiting for seven minutes in heaven their bathroom to come to end. Neither of them have said a word to each other ever since they got shoved into the enclosed space and he’s pretty certain it’s going to stay like it for the next six minutes and thirty-two unbearable seconds.

Annie’s resting her head against the side of the plastic storage container besides the sink, twisting and unfurling her lips as she stares blankly at something on the opposing tiled wall. The room smells a bit damp and Jeff’s pretty certain there’s mold starting to spread in one corner of the ceiling so he’s half tempted to mention it because it wouldn’t be uncharacteristic of Annie to pass the time by cleaning it away with whatever she has in the sink’s cabinet, but he lets it go because he hears a coo from Shirley outside and his thoughts turn to why they’re even in the bathroom in the first place.

It started out with one or two drinks (but not hardly enough because if he were _actually_ drunk he would probably be edging his way towards Annie by now) and Britta’s great idea of playing some classic high school games like Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever, but of course that then lead to other ideas like this for example, and the one game Shirley had shut down immediately; Spin The Bottle.

There’s a rather odd combination of people for the game anyway, because what do any of them really expect to see (or _hear_ ) happening? Unless Shirley decides she would have liked to have spun the bottle anyway, what does anyone think is going to happen when she gets chosen to enter the room with… Abed, for example? And after that Halloween nobody can remember, he’s certain she’d leave if anyone paired her up with Chang.

“I don’t understand what they think we’re going to be doing in here…” Annie pipes up, reading his mind.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” He adds, finally catching onto her eye sight as she sits up a little further and bends up her knees.

“They may as well call it seven minutes in Snoozeville because of how boring this is.” She laughs breathily, pouting to the floor when he doesn’t respond.

“It’s really making me realise how old I’m getting, because I forgot this was even a thing until Britta brought it up. I think my expiry date for teenage party games went off a long time ago.”

She squints at him suspiciously, stretching out her elbow just far enough to make contact with his own.

“Don’t lie, you enjoyed playing Truth or Dare because you enjoy the thrill of putting someone on the spot.” He shakes his head and kicks at the bath tub again before rubbing his hands together and placing them on either side of his legs.

He watches her flick her wrist up to her face and check the time.

“We have four and a half minutes left to sit here and do nothing.”

It’s Jeff’s turn to pout now, before he crosses his arms and coughs out because any action he now makes can be blamed upon alcohol.

“Or you know, four and a half minutes left to sit here and give them whatever they want.” He adds a laugh to the comment and for a moment she joins him in the ridiculousness of it all, but then her eyebrows flick up and the furrow between them deepens and he knows he’s just made those four remaining minutes last an eternity.

“I don’t even know what that would be…” Her voice is softer now, and the sound of his breathing and her fingers tapping against the floor suddenly drown out all outside noise.

“Yeah, neither… make us kiss for the first time in five years?”

She drops her eyes and gives him enough time to gulp whilst she’s not looking.

“Technically it’s only four…” She adds, still looking at the ground, trying to make sense of something by tracing the pattern beneath her fingertips.

“Four; right.”

They hear a creak at the door, making them both turn and jump. Jeff scoots over and looks through the keyhole but the key is still in its place on top of all the latches and chains. He sits back down, closer to the door this time and looks to the window to imagine an escape.

“Two minutes.” Annie sighs, resting back down to how she was originally sat.

“They’re going to realise how much of a waste of time this was soon.”

She nods and for a moment he wishes everything was simple. He wishes he’d never labelled things as platonic and he wishes that if he brushed the hair out of her face now, that the wrinkles around her eyes would be slightly deeper than they are so that he wouldn’t have to try and justify himself to everyone who asked.

“I guess we could always fake it.” She says, not looking his away, almost like she hadn’t meant to let it slip. He raises an eyebrow.

“Not like _Easy A_ style faking it,” She pauses to try and work out if he knows what she’s talking about (he nods and rolls his eyes) before continuing, “but you know… at least give _them_ some enjoyment if we’re not going to give it to ourselves, _not_ that I think you’d enjoy it because I know… that’s not… anyway, but… we have one minute exactly to fake it, or leave the room having done absolutely nothing.”

“Fake it?”

“Fake it.” She smiles one of her determined smiles and nods before sitting up and pressing her lips together.

“What are you proposing?” He asks like he couldn’t care less, when really his interest in what she’s doing has suddenly peaked. He sits up and watches her pace around the room with a finger to her lips.

“Hmm…” She spins on her heels and moves her finger to the rim of the sink, “…water! Hot water, it will make us looked flushed. I’ll get a cloth.”

“Wait, they’ll hear the water running – why would we be running water?”

“We’re cleaning up.”

“Cleaning up from what?!” His voice heightens and his eyes widen as she passes him a cloth for him to press to his cheeks. He’s really going to need to blame the beers he’s consumed if anyone finds out what they _really_ did.

“I don’t know! That’s up for them to decide!”

“This is insane.” He mutters under his breath, before following Annie’s waving orders to stand.

“What else? We have to make it believable right?”

He stands over her and his shoulders raise as he blows out air in an attempt to get a hold of the situation. He swears for a second he can hear the ticking of her watch face.

“Do you ever do _anything_ half-heartedly?” He smirks and immediately shuts it down when she glares back at him.

“Fine, believable… erm…” He shakes his head and then he’s back there. Four years ago, cupping his hand at the back of her head and pulling her closer… so he moves his hand up to her hair and she flinches backwards because as much as it feels like it; he _isn’t_ there.

“What are you doing?” She squeaks, about to brush his hand away.

“I don’t know, you said be believable so I was going to…” He waves his hand in the air before bringing it back down to her loose curls. “…make it look like...”

He isn’t sure how to finish the sentence but she seems to get the gist because she brings her own hand up to her hair and scrunches it up slightly, scratching her fingers through her roots to give it more volume. She looks up and his eyes are dark and full, so she waits a moment before asking, “Should probably do something to yours too, right? I mean I guess I can reach.”.

He nods and ducks down, his chest heaving as she runs her fingers up his shoulders towards the nape of his neck. She flicks out tufts of her hair at the back where his crown is naturally spikier anyway, before dropping down slowly. She can feel his breath on her neck as his hands reach out to steady her, before he skims them up and around so he can play with the top button of her blouse.

“Probably make sense to undo one, right? I mean, if we got that far.”

She parts her lips and watches him before doing the same thing, nodding even further for him to untuck part of his shirt from his jeans.

“Believable.” She whispers, trying not to think too hard about how his hands are still lingering at her waist.

“Believable.” He murmurs, wide eyed and slack jawed.

His hands immediately drop as soon as they hear the key turn in the door and one of the latches slide across, and they really _had_ been playing it realistically because she could have sworn she’d seen Jeff’s eyes drop to her lips, but it was most probably just her imagination trying to fool more than just the beady eyes out in the living room.

As Annie leaves the bathroom, she tucks her hair behind her ear and smiles like a high schooler would if they’d _actually_ played along with the game. She expects Jeff to switch it all off when everyone sits and waits to learn more about what went on behind doors, but she actually catches him slump down into the arm chair he was previously sat in, grinning smugly with dopey eyes. He keeps his legs splayed open too, like it’s his alternative of a cat curling its tail inwards in an attempt to show off to his mates.

Britta drops her mouth open and gapes at the two of them whilst Shirley shakes her head and flares her nostrils in Jeff’s direction. He’s not looking though, because he’s too concentrated on sending Annie a smile that can only suggest he owes her a real seven minutes sometime in the future.


	108. It's Really Not That Exciting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A ficlet for anyone going back to school/ending off their summer...

**Post S6**

He’d had fears that everything was going to fall apart when the boxes started to appear in his apartment and the paper work was signed and everything became official that they were moving in together, because he’d always lived alone. He’d started to wonder if everything was going to fall apart because their routines would be flipped upside down and their habits would have to try and fit in with each other, but he’d soon reminded himself of who he was moving in with – it was Annie after all, and somehow, she was full of surprises.

The main surprise being how he really didn’t mind coming home to her. Even though he’d had his fantasies and his visions about the future, and settling down and starting to make concrete plans, there had always been that seed in the back of his mind, niggling away with thought that it wouldn’t actually be what he wanted when it came down to it. He was sure that he’d come home after a miserable day of half-hearted teaching (slowly becoming more whole-hearted teaching because he was working on ‘things’) and just want to shut her out and crawl into bed, but it was the opposite – it was a relief. Even though he didn’t always _need_ the company, it was comforting knowing there was always someone there if he decided he _did_ need it.

Annie arrives home later than he does, so they decide it works out better if Jeff gets all of his papers and work signed off and finished in his office before coming home, so that they can both be ready to relax and actually enjoy the evening, rather than both be cooped up on opposite sides of the room until they’re too tired to do anything much more than sleep.

If they time it properly, Jeff can slip through the door, hang his coat on the wall hook, and stroll into the bathroom to find Annie already in the shower. Before they’re even living together, she realises he’s a big fan of the spontaneous shared shower, so he no longer has to knock on the door or call out over the rushing water; he just strips off in the steamy room and folds up his clothes on the toilet seat before opening up the glass and greeting her with a smile.

Most of the time they genuinely cleanse up, but if Jeff can tell Annie’s particularly tense from a long day at work, he’ll do a little more than just rub her shoulders and make sure her shampoo is completely rinsed away from her roots. Today’s not one of those days though; it’s simply just a day for pecking her on the lips and humming along to whatever tune she has playing on the small waterproof speaker they have hanging on their shower caddy. They usually stand side by side for two or three songs before Annie reaches over and eases the tap off, giving him her own peck on the lips.

“Are you going to put some laundry on?” Annie asks, bending to pick up her crinkled blouse from the floor as she holds a hand up to the towel wrapped around her chest.

“Yeah sure, what do you want doing?” Jeff flicks his chin up, not being as modest as she is as he holds a towel loosely between his legs.

“Um, this shirt and…” She pauses so she can pick up her underwear and toss it over to him, her stringy wet hair dropping down in front of her face, “…these. Thanks.” She smiles and he winks with an air kiss as he turns and heads into the living room.

When they’re dressed and ready for the evening, and Jeff has taken full control of the music (either turning it off or changing to an instrumental backing track), Annie slips her arms around Jeff’s back as he stands over the kitchen counter, drumming his fingers in thought.

“You okay?” She presses her cheek against the curve of his back which is now covered by a navy hoodie, and sighs.

“Mhmm, just thinking about what to have for dinner. I don’t actually think we have anything other than that left over pasta and I really couldn’t stomach that right now.”

“Well I think we might be running low on toothpaste and we could probably do with some more toilet roll soon so I guess we could always go to the store.” He pouts and nods in agreement before guiding her hands up to his lips.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Somehow he can feel her smile against his sweater, so he waits for a moment before moving so that she can skim around his front and hop up onto the counter between his arms. She smiles with her eyes and every crease in her face before bringing him down with a tug at the blue fuzzy fabric around his neck.

“I missed you today.” She whispers against his bristly jawline before pulling away so he can respond.

“Missed you too. Did you have a good day?” She nods and swings back down to the floor, finding his fingers to steady herself.

“Yup, but I’ll tell you more about it in the car if you get your keys.”

“Keys are in my jacket so if you’re ready, I’m good to go. I’m intrigued by what more you have to tell me.”

She flips her head down so she can scrape up her damp hair into a bun, turning on her heels once she’s finished to find him with his coat over his arm and a dopey grin plastered on his face. 

“It’s really not that exciting.”

And it really isn’t, but the way her face lights up as he drives through traffic makes it seem all that more interesting. Apparently an intern lost a collection of test results which the lab had been waiting on for weeks and was reprimanded in front of everyone, causing Annie to cringe and relive her own internship back in DC. Luckily for _this_ intern, it isn’t the FBI she’s working at, so it was let go and sure enough, the results were found by the end of the day. It caused tension throughout the whole office though because everyone was having to look through piles of paper work, and goodness knows what would have happened if it had been found on someone’s pile instead of the top of the filing cabinet where it lay.

When they’re at the grocery store, they pick out some chicken and some noodles to concoct into a stir fry, and add a bottle of wine to their basket, holding hands all the while. A couple of random items like a paperclip box and a lightbulb encased in plastic remind Jeff of a few things that happened on campus, so he retells them throughout the store to make her laugh, which works as easily as he thought it would.

She steals a kiss from him in one aisle and it fills her with a giddy buzz because sometimes everything seems so easy, she forgets that last year ‘Jeff and her’ had been a distant dream and almost something to be fearful of.

She also gets excited over the fact that Jeff sometimes lets her drive his Lexus. At first he’s hesitant but then she reminds him of that disastrous birthday Troy had had and how he was able to drive it without a fuss, so now it’s just a question of who wants to and when. They leave the grocery store not long after they’d entered, and she casually rounds to the driver’s side so he shrugs and throws her the keys, and when he dozes off against the window she smiles to herself even more.

After eating dinner and joking around in the kitchen with wooden spoons as microphones (because yes, they are both _that_ dorky), they make their way to the couch and spread out on it beneath a blanket, a glass of red wine in their hands. They’re on the last episode of a new Netflix show which Abed has been raving about on his film blog (something he was advised to really get stuck into in LA), so Annie presses down onto Jeff’s chest and they both get sucked into whatever’s on the screen.

At one point Jeff has had enough of his wine, so he passes Annie his glass and she downs the last mouthful, putting both of their glasses down on the floor before settling again; the glasses being replaced by Jeff’s hands. Shifting slightly makes her bra strap dig into her back, and when she sits up again, Jeff knows exactly what she needs, so he pulls up her sweater and unclasps it for her before pulling it from her arms and laying it across the back of the couch cushions, making a sarcastic comment about her underwear choice.

“Wow, sexy.”

She turns her neck around so she can see him, glaring and swatting at his thigh.

“I went for comfort over sexiness… plus, I thought you liked me in whatever…?” She squints her eye and he smirks, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

“I do.”

His expression fades to something softer and more sincere, capable of melting all the ice cream in the world, Annie decides.

“Scruffy beard.” She murmurs, cupping either side of his face with one hand.

“Hey… I thought you liked me in whatever…?” He mimics, nudging his nose against her temple.

“I do, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t looking a little scruffy.”

He sighs and the hair he tucked behind her ear falls down across her face again when he breathes.

“I’ll shave before bed.”

Annie’s back to watching the TV, but she continues the conversation.

“You don’t actually have to.”

“I know, but I’m getting a little unkempt at the back here anyway,” He nudges her so he can point to the nape of his neck, “so now that I think about it, I could do with your help later.”

She raises an eyebrow, but that’s how he finds herself leaning against the bathroom sink with Jeff kneeling at the perfect height so she can run his electric razor around the back of his neck. He’s set it so that she can hardly go wrong but every time he feels as if she’s going into his actual hair, he grimaces and tilts further forward.

When she’s done, he stands up and brushes himself off before running his fingers through his hair whilst looking in the mirror.

“So why exactly did you just trust me to do that?” Annie asks, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Because otherwise I’d have to pay for a whole haircut… I may as well make use of you.”

“Glad to be of service.” She rolls her eyes and presses up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek, before leaving him to continue getting ready for bed.

When they’re both ready, they slip under the sheets and lay face to face with just a dim wall socket light glowing in one corner of the room. Jeff has stripped down to nothing now, but Annie’s still in a vest and a pair of fuzzy pyjama bottoms so when he pulls her closer he doesn’t get much more than a handful of soft fabric.

One side of his face is completely squashed into the pillow, but it doesn’t hide how his focus is permanently fixated on her lips.

“Bit of a boring day today, huh?”

He nods in agreement.

“We still have to go shopping on Saturday to get your mom’s birthday present. Have you thought about what she might want, yet?”

He shakes his head and his eyes droop further towards closing.

“I think she just wants us to be there,” He sniffs, which Annie knows is a clear sign sleep is imminent, “but I guess some flowers wouldn’t hurt.”

“We’ll see.” She strokes a hand across his cheek and down across his lips and he shivers at the touch, so he captures her fingers and holds them against his heart.

“Oh by the way, Frankie needs me to stay on late tomorrow for some kind of faculty meeting, but I don’t think she’ll mind if you drop by.”

“It’s okay, this place could probably do with a tidy so I’ll just stay home and wait.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause everyone misses you.” His eyes are now firmly closed so he misses how her smile drops into an expression of awe.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

He nods again and his fingers around her waist clasp a little tighter.

“If you do tidy the apartment can you not touch my t-shi-.”

“T-shirt drawer; I know.”

“M’kay.” His mouth moves and his teeth grind a little and she can’t resist kissing him to still the movement.

“Love you.” He says before she has chance to pull away.

“I love you too.”

“Hmm…” She squints questioningly as he trails off as if in thought, before pulling back to tuck the sheets under her arm more comfortably.

“…yet clearly not enough because you haven’t thought about,” She rolls her eyes as soon as she realises what he’s doing, “ _this,_ all night.”.

He crawls on top of her under the sheets and growls against her neck. There’s a reason she hasn’t thought about it though.

“Not tonight.” She whispers. He pouts like a school boy not being allowed to stay up later than his bed time, and she has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

“Boring.” He sighs as he flops back down and grabs a pillow from the floor to cover up whatever’s between his legs. She laughs and puts an arm across his chest.

“Tired.”

Which makes for another surprise - he doesn’t mind that he doesn’t get lucky every night, because he knows and is sure in his heart, that he’s going to have many more chances in his life to change her mind…

When the pillow between his legs has dropped to the floor and silence has filled the room, he hears her grunt and toss her vest to the floor before turning and pulling him towards her.

…and if he doesn’t even have to, well, he knows he’s going to be okay with that too.

 


	109. "That was the police..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted as a stand alone fic on my account, but it annoyed me because it's full of OCs and was a prompt anyway... so... here it is again!

_**S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/146788811090))** _

Somehow, he’d ended up at his cousin Christina’s house, in the middle of her couch between two of her kids (Jake, who was 11 and Tim, who was 6), fiddling around on a Playstation controller, trying to figure out how the game worked on the TV because they had no interest in teaching him.

Jeff was meant to be helping out his mom for the weekend, but had somehow been roped into babysitting for an afternoon whilst Christina was out at a “tea party hen-do” (which apparently involved all of her friends, including her actual baby sitter) and whilst her husband, Derek, was away on a work trip in Canada.

He _had_ been helping out his mom with fitting some new lights and just generally being in her presence for the first time in a while, but then she’d got a call, looked over at him and had given him no choice but to accept.

He’d met Jake when he was a newborn, back when he’d been a lawyer and when going to family events had been an opportunity to boast about his successes (which had all been based on a lie), and hadn’t even met Tim yet, so quite frankly, he knew very little about the kids, and he wondered if they even knew who he was.

“So what am I trying to do?” Jeff shook is head and sat back for a moment, watching on as they focused intently at the screen, their eyes squinted in perfect concentration.

“We’re just... jumping...” Jake, the older one, replied in broken up sentences as he clicked around on his controller, sighing in relief as a character on screen died, “...and killing off the monsters.”

“Yeah, but how?”

“You’ve just got to click around...” 

Tim lent forward across Jeff then, to whisper to his brother.

_“I don’t think he knows how to play.”_

_“I don’t know how to play.”_  Both of the boys turned to look at him, making Jake roll his eyes and turn off the console without looking at the screen or the controller in his hands. 

“Do you want to play Nerf guns?”

He wasn’t quite sure why he agreed, but he knew that he couldn’t just sit back and let them shoot foam bullets around their house... unless he was playing too. Then there would be a responsible adult involved; it made sense. 

“Do you even have to ask?” Okay, so maybe the fact he’d seen Shirley’s sons playing with them one year, also sold the idea... it had looked pretty fun in the moment, but he’d had a glass of scotch in hand and Annie by his side so he hadn’t really been wanti-.

“Dibs on the big one!” Jake called out, pulling Jeff from his thoughts as they scrambled over to a basket in the hallway, rifling through different plastic weapons. He heaved himself off of the couch and stood over them, crossing his arms over to let them do their thing before looking down to see what they’d left him - a single, small cross bow that probably wouldn’t even harm a cat if you tried.

“Mom gets mad if we play in the house so we have to play in the garden.”

“Then let’s go do that.”

 

* * *

“Do you have some kind of scoring system?” Jeff asked, genuinely curious about how it was going to work... realising he probably shouldn’t start getting competitive over an 11 year old and his 6 year old brother. 

“Just count how many kills you get, don’t pick up any bullets until we’re all out, and don’t shoot at any of the windows or at anybody’s head.” Jake nodded before shouting out, “GO!”, scurrying off to the end of the lawn where there was a small wooden shed which Jeff presumed was some sort of hide out. Tim followed, disappearing behind some bushes which surrounded a swinging bench. 

“Okay then...” Jeff pointed out his crossbow, pressing down on the trigger, jolting back as the tiny piece of foam pinged out and flew across the lawn, landing somewhere unreachable. 

“Oh shit.”

“You said a swear!” Tim called out from wherever he was hiding, making Jeff sigh before walking closer to where he’d heard him.

“Yeah, I’m bad a example, don’t listen to me.” Jeff called back, hearing a rustle from behind a bush he’d walked past. He heard a click and felt a sting to his back, turning around immediately to shoot back, missing by just a few centimeters as Tim expertly dodged out of the way. 

“Yeah, you’re a bad aim too.” He barely had chance to turn around before being pelted in the side by Jake who was now running for cover, being followed by Jeff’s amo, firing through the air.

“This is totally unfair. I can’t hide because I’m way taller than you.”

“But you have one of the best weapons!”

“Why did you get dibs on the big one then?”

“Because our dad always gets this one and I never get try it, even if it’s not as good as that one.”

“Yeah, dad’s suck.”

“Our dad doesn’t suck, he’s just likes this gun.”

“Yeah! Dad doesn’t suck! Jake, get him!” Tim sprinted out from where he’d taken cover, leaving Jeff to surrender and fall to the floor, gritting his teeth, hoping his abs wouldn’t be covered in tiny bruises as they continued to fire at him, even when it was clear he was out.

“Well that’s just mean.”

“You’re rubbish at this game.”

“Yeah I am...” Jeff faux-sighed before swinging his crossbow out from under his back, shooting them both in the leg before standing up and grabbing Tim by the waist, throwing him up onto his shoulder.

“Ahh! Get me down!”

“Not until I get Jake too.”

“Jake! Run for your life!” 

Jeff sniggered before sliding Tim even further up onto his shoulder so he had more room for the both of them, straining slightly as he underestimated how heavy an 11 year old probably is. 

“You’re really strong.” Tim giggled whilst still kicking his legs as Jeff walked them back up to the house.

“Ooh! We should watch a movie. Can we watch the Hulk? Also, can I get down?” Jake asked, feeling Jeff nod before landing back down in the living room.

 

* * *

Somehow during the movie, he’d only turned on his phone once or twice just to see if he’d been messaged by Christina or his mom. He’d turned it back off when he’d ended up on Annie’s Instagram page, pouting over a new picture of herself and Abed. 

“I’m getting a soda.”

“No you’re not.” Jeff mumbled, not looking up as Jake walked into the kitchen. He finally got up to stop Jake from disobeying his mom’s orders, but was greeted with both Jake and Tim taking sips from a can. His phone buzzed again at that moment, buzzing again several times to signify someone was calling.

“Hey... yeah... yeah no that’s fine... okay, cool, see you then.”

“Who was that?” Jake burped after asking.

“That was the police. You’re under arrest for stealing soda when you’re not meant to.”

“No it wasn’t...” Tim eyed him suspiciously, pouting over the top of the can.

“No, you’re right, it was your mom. She’s coming home in twenty minutes.”

* * *

The keys clattered at the door, making Jeff tilt his head back from the arm chair he was sat in, to look and see Christina walk in with a coat and gift bag in her hand.

“I’m home!” She called out in a sing song voice before smiling at Jeff, who flicked up his eyebrows in response.

“They had soda.”

“Well then, you’re a terrible babysitter.”

“I am.”

“So kiddos, what did you get up to?” She asked as she set down her coat on the back of the couch.

“We played Nerf guns, he was rubbish, and we watched a movie.” Jake tilted his head to the TV which was playing the closing credits.

“Right okay, well do you want to go get in your PJs and I can start on dinner?”

“Ugh, fine.” Jake mumbled, pulling Tim along with him, scrambling up the stairs. 

“Were they loads of trouble?”

“No... no, they were fine.” Jeff stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans before following her into the kitchen.

“Good... well, I’m sorry I didn’t get chance to talk before I left but erm... how are you? How long has it been? I don’t think I’ve seen you about for a while.”

“Yeah... yeah... I know, I hadn’t even met Tim before today.” Jeff pointed to his knee to demonstrate their size.

“Gosh, I know... seriously, they grow up so fast, you can hardly keep track.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t really know... I’m pretty sure the only reason my mom roped me into looking after them was because she wants to fulfill the grandparent fantasy.”

Christina stretched up onto a shelf to pull down a bottle of wine, pouring herself a glass to sip as she turned and carried on talking. He wasn’t really sure why she was asking questions, seeing as the whole situation was kind of awkward already.

“Haha... so... what are you doing? You were... a lawyer right? Last time I checked?”

“Yeah, emphasis on _were.”_

“What are you doing now then?”

“I teach, actually.”

“Ohh, interesting.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you still in Denver?” Jeff crossed his arms and lent up against a wall which had height measurements dotted across it in pencil.

“No, no, I’m in Greendale now actually, so not far, but you know, on the outside.”

“Yeah, I know the place! I have a friend who lives there.” Jeff hummed as he listened, pouting to the floor, not noticing that his cousin was watching him out of the corner of her eye as she flicked through a recipe book. 

“I know this might be odd to ask seeing as we haven’t spoken in years... but, are you okay?”

“Hmm? Oh... erm...” He paused to think about it, eyeing the bottle of scotch which was next to the wine bottle she’d poured from, “...okay’s the best way to put it, yeah.”

“You look...” She trailed off, not quite sure how to put it, as he carried on staring at the ground. He knew what she wanted to say, and honestly, he wanted to say it himself. It was all well and good having kids around as a distraction for a few hours, but the idea of telling someone everything who wasn’t a therapist or a wannabe one, or a friend who’s level of caring had dropped a lot in the past few months, sounded more appealing. 

“Yeah, I know.”

“You didn’t have to help out, I’m sorry if it wasn-.”

“No, no, it’s fine... it was distracting actually, but then... distractions come with their reminders too, I guess.”

“What do you need di-.”

“I said something about their,” Jeff waved a hand in the air pointing towards the stairs, “dad sucking by the way, well no, I said dads suck, and they kind of... I don’t know, I don’t want them to mention it and then you take it the wrong the way. I don’t need anymore family to push me away.”

She was chopping tomatoes now, but stopped halfway to look over her shoulder and watch as Jeff scratched under his chin. She pouted and turned to lean on the counter.

“I don’t _really_ know the full story... but your mom’s the same, you know. She’ll same something when the kids are over or when my mom’s there and her mood just changes. Does it still... like, was it really... _that_ bad?”

Jeff snorted breathily before pushing off the wall.

“He really fucked me up... I mean I start saying to myself I want to be a dad, and then I realise I’d probably be just as shit as he was so... I mean if I can’t even find anyone to put up with me, I don’t think my kids will.”

Christina shook her head and pursed her lips.

“You can’t base your parenting abilities on one afternoon with two kids who barely know you, you know that right? I mean, Derek... his dad was awful to him too, but he’s the _best_ dad in the world. I owe everything to him... and you’ll find someone. From what I remember, you used to get every girl in school.”

“Yeah, because my dad fucked me up and made me think losing my virginity at 14 was a good idea, because then I could ‘prove something to him when he comes back’.”

Jeff paced across the kitchen, ignoring Christina who was smirking at him, watching along as he mulled everything over.

“Well from what I remember, you’re a really great guy and you deserve to be happy... I mean, you didn’t put up a fight when your mom said you’d help out today?”

“No I didn’t, because I knew if I did, she’d get mad at me.”

“Exactly, you did it to make her happy. I don’t know what’s going on your life, or whether I can even say this, but have you thought about doing something to make _you_ happy? When was the last time you did that?”

“Last night. I drank.”

Christina smiled again, rolling her eyes. 

“Okay, well we’ll see you again, right? When you come over next, you have to come and see Derek.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Right, hang on...” Christina poked her head up the stairs, “...kids! Come say goodbye to Jeff.”

A few minutes later and Jake and Tim were back downstairs, waving goodbye. 

“It was really fun.” Tim mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Jeff pouted before turning in into a smile, holding out a fist for a bump.

“See you again soon, guys."

* * *

 

On the drive back after saying goodbye to his mom, Jeff put on some music, stopped at a liquor store in Greendale and slumped down into bed with a glass of scotch and opened his phone up for a final time. He tapped onto his camera roll just out of curiosity and was greeted with a close up picture of what must have been Tim’s face, blurred out due to how close it was, his tongue sticking out in a goofy face. 

He rolled his eyes and posted it to Facebook without thinking too much about it, tagging Christina with a caption, “Nerf guns are dangerous weapons.”

He sipped on his newly bought scotch and realised it was numbing the pain of more than just the bruises on his chest. 


	110. Basic Introduction to the Parental Mindset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, another fic that used to be a stand alone on my account. Just adding it to this as it will make me happier!

“This is going to seem like a really weird question to ask and it may come across a little creepy, but can I ask how old your son is?” Jeff asked, leaning across his table in the corner of Starbucks as a mother and her young boy sat down in the booth to his right.

“Sorry? Oh, how old he is? Err… _okay?_ He’s four… may I ask my own question as to why you’re asking?” She replied politely as she rummaged through her bag.

“Err, I’m just curious. It sounds really weird but honestly I don’t think I’ll ever see you again so it’s not like I’m using any of this information to my advantage… I now know that it kinds of sounds like I’m chatting you up or something but I’m honestly I’m not interested… okay, maybe I should just shut up and stop asking questions to a stranger with a kid. I guess I just really needed this coffee.” Jeff slouched back down in his chair, puffing his cheeks out slightly, his fingers fumbling around the lid of his paper cup.

“It’s fine, don’t worry… I’ve been asked my stranger questions by much stranger looking people than yourself.”

Jeff just nodded.

He wasn’t quite sure what had made him ask in the first place but as soon as the bright young thing had toddled into the shop his mind had gone fuzzy and this feeling of emptiness and _knowing_ filled him.

He’d denied many things before, including settling down and being in love. Being in love with Annie more specifically. He wasn’t denying it anymore so to speak, because he knew he did and it was probably the only thing he could think of these days. But there was one thing he’d never _really_ denied and that was the idea of becoming a father and having kids.

Okay so it was part of settling down, but the actual idea of having that kind of responsibility had never scared him away from the thought. He’d squirmed at himself for thinking kids were cute and he’d slapped himself across the face for ever thinking he could actually _be_ responsible but never once had he stepped back and actually felt pathetic for wanting that one day.

He knew the core reason was his own experiences with his father. He knew that if he could have a son, it would be a way of proving something to himself. It would be proving that not every father is going to get up and leave everything behind. It would be proving that not every father was a selfish jerk and it would be proving that he was _nothing_ like any of that.

Becoming a dad would also be a way of wiping the slate clean. The new bundle of human would have no judgement of him whatsoever. They wouldn’t know that he was a failed lawyer who’d slept with an amount of women that was probably in triple digits. They wouldn’t know that he was a forty-year-old community college teacher who played endless reruns of Planet Earth in classes. They wouldn’t know any of this until they were old enough to understand that he was different, and everything up until the day that they were born was pointless.

So perhaps he was a little sure why he’d ask the stranger sat beside him in Starbucks. It was because he wanted to know what that looked like. He wanted to be able to know what a four-year-old son was all about. He’d known Shirley’s kids but that was before he’d even started to think about settling down. That was when he was thinking about getting out of Greendale as fast as he could, whereas now he was looking at staying there even longer.

So perhaps he was a little _more_ than sure why he’d asked.

“He’s very cute by the way.” Jeff mumbled, trying to clear the awkward air that had been created.

“Haha, thank you. He is… he’s a real sweetie. They’re great at this age. I mean, I would guess you don’t have kids?” The lady asked, tilting her head a little to gain Jeff’s attention.

“Uh, haha, no… I do not.” Jeff smiled with tight lips, gritting his teeth nervously.

“Well, what I can say is that they're a great stress reliever. You come home every day and you just forget _everything…_ other than the fact that you still need to potty train them. Everything is fine accept from that. They’re life changing but in the most incredible sense of the word.”

Jeff just nodded again.

“Do you want kids?” The woman asked as she pulled a coloured water bottle from her bag, a small pair of hands clasping it closely from beside her.

“Err… yeah, I think so. Maybe two, but I think I’d be fine with just one.”

“Girl or boy? You have absolutely no say in that whatsoever but I’m always intrigued by people’s responses. We both wanted a girl, but I now I can never think of having anything anything different.

“Probably a son but like you say, I’d have no choice in that.”

“You really don’t… seriously, they change your life completely and bring you together with your partner on a whole new level. We’d already been married three years so we thought we were okay on our own but now it’s totally different. I love it, and his father is a stay at home dad so it all works out perfectly.”

“Sounds pretty ideal.”

“It is… you should just go for it. Some people make it sound like the most awful decision of your life, and maybe it is to some, but when you need a bit of a change… well, I guess you already know my opinion on it.”

Jeff laughed under his breath, the words _you should just go for it_ echoing around in his mind.

“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard to just go for it when you’re not married or getting ready to settle down. I should probably ask her out on a date before I get to that stage.”

The lady laughed as she watched Jeff stir around his coffee with a wooden stick before pulling her son close, pressing a small kiss to his forehead.

“Well I’m sure you’ll work it out. You should just go for that too!”

“Yeah, I just wish it was that simple.” Jeff pouted before taking a last gulp of his strong black coffee, the taste hitting the back of his throat, the scent spiking up his nose. It was a shock to the system which he’d probably been needing ever since he’d sat down.

“Well it was great talking to you but I’ve got get going. Have a nice day.” Jeff stood, chucking his paper cup into a nearby trash can before smiling and pushing off out through the door.

As he walked away, through the glass he could just make out what the little boy was saying as he sat up and lent across the table, his fingers scrambling for a red stuffy that was poking out from his mom’s bag.

“Mommy, can I have my Sebastian toy?”

Jeff laughed to himself as he slipped his sunglasses back on.  
He’d always been a sucker for The Little Mermaid.


	111. [text] I can’t take you seriously when you’re using that many emojis.

**S3 (Post-Origins of Vampire Mythology) - _possibly AU - **Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)**_**

[ANNIE]: Your Winger speech was much appreciated today *tongue face, tongue face, grin, grin, confetti, confetti* 

[JEFF]: I can’t take u seriously when ur using that many emojis

[ANNIE}: I like using them! You should know that by now *tongue face* And I’m being serious. I think Britta needed the support. I was worried about her.

[ANNIE]: Oh and I can’t take you seriously when you don’t type properly. 

[JEFF]: U don’t need to worry about Britta, she’s 30 she can deal with that guy herself oh and u should know by now that I don’t type properly

[ANNIE]: You’re in your 30s too, so I should I not worry about you? *pout*

[JEFF]: Y would u be worrying about me?

[ANNIE]: Because you’re my friend and I care about you... and I care about Britta. 

[JEFF]: U care about me more tho right?

[ANNIE]: I’m sure I’d care the same amount if you were pining after someone just because they’re a jerk. 

[JEFF]: So u admit he was a jerk?

[ANNIE]: You’re deflecting. I was messaging to thank you *purple heart*

[JEFF]: Thanks accepted

[JEFF]: But u do agree he was jerk tho right?

[ANNIE]: Well he definitely doesn’t deserve Britta... even if he did get a bolt to the brain. Why are you asking?

[ANNIE]: Are you jealous?

[JEFF]: Y would I be jealous?

[ANNIE]: Because you like *couple kissing* Britta?

[JEFF]: I don’t like whatever that emoji is Britta 

[ANNIE]: Who do you like then?

[JEFF]: Oh so this is why you messaged me

[JEFF]: I’m not going 2 admit i like you

[ANNIE]: Didn’t you kind of just admit it?

[JEFF]: No

[ANNIE]: Are you sure? *eyes*

[JEFF]: Is that meant to be ur eyes because they don’t work over text

[ANNIE]: *eyes, eyes, eyes*

[JEFF]: Go 2 sleep, I’ll see u tomorrow

[ANNIE]: Fine, grumpy *kiss*

[JEFF]: U thank me then insult me, I can’t win

[ANNIE]: “Go 2 sleep, I’ll see u tomorrow”

[JEFF]: Goodnight

[ANNIE]: *unicorn*


	112. [text] I just miss you. That’s all.

**Post-S6 - ** _Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)_****

[JEFF]: Hey

[ANNIE]: Hello again :) Everything okay? I was just about to turn my phone off! I’m sleepy *zzz*

[JEFF]: Yeah

[ANNIE]: Are you sure?

[JEFF]: I just miss u

[JEFF]: That’s all


	113. [text] You left your sweatshirt here. It’s mine now.

****_Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)_ ** **

[ANNIE]: You left your sweatshirt here. It’s mine now :)

[JEFF]: Which 1?

[ANNIE]: (Picture attachment) This one!

[JEFF]: That is definitely yours now

[ANNIE]: Ooops sorry am I stretching the sleeves? ;)

[JEFF]: No u just look super hot

[ANNIE]: I do?

[JEFF]: Yeah

[ANNIE]: Why? 

[JEFF]: I like where this is going

[ANNIE]: (Picture attachment) 

[JEFF]: I really like where this is going

[ANNIE]: Should I take it off?

[JEFF]: No keep it on

[ANNIE]: Seeing as I have your sweater... what are you wearing right now?

[JEFF]: Nothing

[ANNIE]: Without me? :(

[JEFF]: You’re on my phone, so not really

[ANNIE]: I can’t touch you on my phone. 

[JEFF]: Then tell me what 2 do

[ANNIE]: Go slow

[JEFF]: R u going slow?

[ANNIE]: I won’t be soon. 

[JEFF]: Fuck


	114. [text] I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry please just pick up the phone.

****_Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)_ ** **

[JEFF]: I’m sorry.

[JEFF]: Annie please can you pick up, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, I didn’t mean to be insensitive and upset you.

[JEFF]: I’ve called 10 times. I’m starting to worry. You should be home resting right now.

[JEFF]: And please don’t message me asking why I would worry. 

[JEFF]: I love you

[JEFF]: I’m sorry

[JEFF]: I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry please just pick up the phone. I don’t want to start worrying Sebastian.

[JEFF]: I don’t think I’ve ever sounded so desperate in my life but I don’t know what else to do.

[JEFF]: I’ve been to your office, I went to Britta’s, I even called Abed. 

[JEFF]: This is the last text I’m sending. I love you, please just come home.

[ANNIE]: I know you didn’t mean it. I’m sorry I overreacted and haven’t picked up your calls but I just needed some time alone. I’m really overwhelmed with everything right now and I’m sorry if you’ve had to deal with it all. I love you too and I forgive you. I promise I’m okay. 

[JEFF]: Do you want to come home and talk about it?

[ANNIE]: I’d rather not bring this home. Can you call the sitter?

[JEFF]: I’ll try.

[ANNIE]: Jeff, we lost it. 

[JEFF]: I know, and I hate this as much as you do. But I hate the fact it doesn’t seem like I do even more.

[JEFF]: I’m trying to be good for everyone right now.

[ANNIE]: I know you do, and that’s why I should be the one apologizing.

[JEFF]: No you shouldn’t. I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling right now. Everything is a mess so it’s understandable.

[JEFF]: The sitter can’t come tonight. I could call my mom, but maybe Sebastian can make you feel better? 

[ANNIE]: Okay. 

[JEFF]: Where are you? We’re coming now. Do you need anything?

[ANNIE]: I’m in the parking lot near the big park. I don’t need anything.

[JEFF]: Okay. Stay there. I love you.

[ANNIE]: I know x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I don’t know what this was, but the idea is Jeff said something insensitive which hurt an emotionally fragile Annie because they just had a miscarriage. FUN STUFF.)


	115. [text] I’m just saying that you look a lot better without clothes on.

****_Post-S6 - Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)_ ** **

[ANNIE]: (Picture attachment) What do you think? For your mom’s birthday dinner? Too casual? Too girly? Too revealing? I’m uncertain... xx

[JEFF]: Too perfect. 

[JEFF]: But u know if I had my way you’d be wearing nothing

[ANNIE]: *eye roll* I can’t wear nothing to your mom’s birthday dinner Jeff. 

[JEFF]: I’m just saying that u look a lot better without clothes on!

[ANNIE]: So you don’t like it?

[JEFF]: No I do, you look very beautiful

[ANNIE]: So beautiful that the reason I’d look better without clothes on is because it makes you want to ravish me? 

[JEFF]: Exactly!

[ANNIE]: Too revealing then. I’ll try on another one.

[JEFF]: U could wear a trash bag and I’d still think you’re hot

[JEFF]: My mom will like whatever u wear, don’t worry about it, trust me

[ANNIE]: It’s a big birthday! I don’t want her to look like I put no effort in. 

[JEFF]: Stop worrying, you’re perfect and that’s all that matters

[ANNIE]: I love you *heart*

[JEFF]: I love you too


	116. [text] Oh no, I’m not doing that again.

****_Post-S6 - Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)_ ** **

[ANNIE]: Can you get me some orange juice, please? x

[JEFF]: Oh no, I’m not doing that again.

[ANNIE]: Pleeeease? 

[JEFF]: You’re literally in the bedroom

[ANNIE]: And you’re literally in the living room which is technically the same room as the kitchen! 

[ANNIE]: It’s not me who wants it... it’s the baby. 

[JEFF]: Our unbirthed child is already requesting orange juice? 

[ANNIE]: Yeah, they’re extra smart!

[JEFF]: This is the last time...

[ANNIE]: Thank youuuu! I love you *heart, heart, heart*


	117. [text] That’s really inappropriate…

****_Post-S6 - Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/150170451645)_ ** **

[JEFF]: I miss you

[MOM]: Aww that’s sweet. I miss you too!!

[JEFF]: You should come over

[MOM]: I’d love to come over. When’s a good time?

[JEFF]: Now 

[JEFF]: I need you

[MOM]: Is everything okay sweetie?

[JEFF]: You’re not coming straight over, that’s what’s not okay

[MOM]: Of course I can’t, it’s late

[JEFF]: Since when has that stopped u? You’re being weird 2nite

[JEFF]: I want u in bed, stat

[MOM}: Jeffrey! That’s really inappropriate

[MOM]: Perhaps I need new glasses though because I might be reading things wrong

[JEFF]: Um, well, this is awkward. I thought I was texting Annie. I think maybe I’m the one who needs glasses. 

[MOM]: Oh my!!! Ha ha ha, no sweetie it’s your mother xxx

[JEFF]: Okay goodnight

[JEFF]: Please delete this conversation off your phone

[MOM]: How do I do that?

[JEFF]: Go to your messages and there’s an edit button. Goodnight mom

[JEFF]: Sorry

\---

[JEFF]: I just texted my mom thinking it was you

[ANNIE]: !??!??!?! 


	118. Took you long enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An idea that just came to my head and I had to roll with it. The idea of Jeff accidentally (i.e not planning to) say "I love you" just seemed really cute! So much fluff tho', oh mah gahh.

**Post-S6**

They’re walking through the park near to his apartment, swinging their hands together as Annie walks slightly further ahead, looking up at the leaves on the trees that are already starting to fade into yellow. She turns at one point because she can sense his smile beaming at her from behind, so she slows and reaches up to cup her free hand around his cheek, letting him nuzzle at her fingers with his nose for a moment before accepting the kiss she’d been planning on giving.

It's short and simple and he barely even gets to open his mouth but it still feels just as fulfilling as something more intense, so he continues to smile when she settles back down from standing on her tippy toes.

Her eyes are lit up, not only by their natural sparkle but also by the afternoon light which is glowing around her like a halo, and all it does is make him want to kiss her again, but then she pulls away and clasps his hand a little tighter to motion him forward. He pouts into the air where her lips would have been.

She giggles then, light and airily and under her breath like she isn’t quite sure she wants him to hear it.

“What’s so funny?” He raises an eyebrow and squints all at the same time.

“You. You’re going to be a hunchback from having to bend down to kiss me all the time if you’re not careful.”

He smirks and rocks his head from side to side in thought, watching her feet skim in and out in a straight line.

“I know… why did I have to fall in love with a midget?”

He carries on walking and shakes his head at himself when he grins at a dog waddling past. When he lifts his eyes from the path and reads the twisted smile on Annie’s face where she’s stopped in front of him, he scrunches up his own and holds in a groan as he closes his eyes towards the sky.

“Fell in love, huh?”

He’s not quite ready to meet her eyes yet, so he sighs, but isn’t sure whether it’s from unpreparedness or relief, because honestly, he’s been wanting to say the ‘L’ word ever since she stepped off the plane. The moment had never been right, though; he’d bitten his tongue one too many times during sex because he feared what kind of response that would yield, and saying it outside the restaurant after their first date had seemed far too cliché (he blames that excuse on Abed).

He rolls his neck in attempt to look at her without _really_ looking at her, but she catches on and her smile turns into a thin line as she holds in a laugh. If people walking by are oblivious to the fact it’s one of the most important moments in his life so far, they certainly have more of a clue when she rolls her eyes and cups his cheek again, this time giving him more than just closed lips and a peck along his jaw.

When she pulls away, she curls into him and rests her chin on his shoulder, making the whole hunchback thing even more prominent. He inhales the perfume which she spritzed across her clothes earlier in the morning and it gives him enough of a reason to answer her question; he really wants to keep her as close as possible, for as long as possible – at least close enough that he can feel like he’s home.

Her hair is in his mouth as he murmurs, low and only loud enough for her to hear him.

“Fell in love, yeah.”

He can’t see, but she smiles and closes her eyes so he can savour the moment, taking in her own deep breath of the cologne clinging within every fibre of his jacket collar. She bites her lip before moving to see his face, which is open and bright and almost overwhelming because she knows it’s _all_ and _only_ directed at her.

“I guess I should ask the same question… why did I have to fall in love with a giant?”

He grins and finds himself blinking away the memory of when he was 14 and asking his mom if it was okay to invite his biggest crush over from school. He really wants his mom to meet Annie, and he laughs at himself for thinking that.

“I love you.”

He tilts his head when the words are finally said, but she tilts him back the other way so he’s right up in her face again.

“I love you too.”

He gulps as if he’s swallowing her words to make them settle.

“Took you long enough.” She adds, before bumping her nose against his.

They end up kissing on the spot again, until Annie breaks away once more (he really doesn’t understand how she has the strength to do it) so that she can slip her phone out of her bag.

“This feels like a picture worthy moment, and you can’t back out of it now Mister, because you just admitted you love me and technically that means you’ll do anything for me.”

He cocks his head and lets out a hum to mull it over, before coming to the conclusion that she’s right.

“I’ve always done anything for you.”

“Well then, I guess that means you’ve always been in love with me.” She leans back into his chest and lifts her neck up so she can kiss him on the cheek as she presses the shutter button.

It’s actually a fairly decent picture so he doesn’t make a grumble, in fact, he finds himself asking for a copy.

“I’ll send it to my mom. Is it okay if I send it to my mom? Unless you want to send it to her, I just… I don’t know, she’ll like it… I think.”

She nods and shrugs before passing her phone over, letting Jeff add in a new number and send a message.

They both try to act like nothing has changed, but when Jeff rolls over before they drift off to sleep and kisses her bare shoulder and the silky smooth skin across her collarbone, they know _everything_ has changed; for the better.

“I love you.” He whispers.


	119. Nothing to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically written because I like future fic, dad!Jeff and realistic conversations. Also partly for @zacscottysnl because she suggested the idea! ;)

**Post-S6**

If there’s one thing Jeff prides himself on as a parent, it’s the fact that most of the time his kids are open and honest with him about almost everything. The _almost_ comes into play when it’s laundry day and Sebastian says he’s folded all his clothes away, when really, there’s a pile of clothes still on the end of his bed ready to be sorted by whoever gets fed up of them being there (most probably, Annie); or when Finn says he’s finished his homework and starts playing video games before he truly is.

Most other topics and types of honesty are fairly easy to work around though, so when Sebastian asks where he took ‘Mom’ on their first date, Jeff can only smile and hold his chin up high, and also roll his neck around so he can smirk at his son before turning his eyes back to the road ahead of them.

“Are you asking out of curiosity or are you asking because you need some ideas?”

Sebastian’s looking out the window as they pass restaurants and bars in the centre of town, squinting a little at what Jeff suspects are possible date locations catching his eye. He shrugs but it makes Jeff smirk harder and want to prod deeper, because as much as Sebastian doesn’t shy away from taboo topics, he’ll still go shy at first.

“It’s fine if that’s why you’re asking, but just so you know, our first date was twenty-three years ago and my memory might be a little foggy.”

Sebastian sits back in his seat then, looking out the front window rather than out the side.

“Well?”

“I took her to an Italian restaurant, and we carried on going there for date nights for a good few years, actually. In fact, the owners started to recognise us so we had a table in the corner which was reserved whenever we needed it. When Mom was pregnant with you though, I don’t know, she must have been about five months, again my memory is foggy, we turned up and the place was all boarded up and she just started crying on the spot. It wasn’t a chain or anything, and there was no note on the door to say they’d moved, so we never knew what happened. So yeah, in answer to your question, I took your Mom to an Italian restaurant.”

“Oh.”

Jeff has to watch Sebastian out of the corner of his eye because there’s traffic up ahead, but he can see how he nods and mulls things over. It’s an expression that he’s picked up from his mom, for definite; he has the same determined furrow between his brows.

“Oh? Is that not exciting enough for you? What do kids do these days? Go off and take a date in a virtual reality?”

He rolls his eyes just like his mom too.

“No, she just doesn’t like Italian food.”

The car slows to a stop at the perfect moment, because Jeff can fully take his eyes off of the road to grin once again.

“ _Ooo_ ooh, _she_? So you _were_ asking for ideas. Good job, buddy.”

“Please don’t be weird about it.” He watches as Sebastian returns to glancing out his passenger window. Jeff waits a moment before continuing.

“Who doesn’t like Italian food?”

“She doesn’t like pasta.”

“You know what food she likes already? How long has this been going on?” When Sebastian groans and slams back against his headrest, Jeff bites his lip to hide another growing smirk.

“I don’t know. Nothing’s going on.”

The traffic is at a standstill, so Jeff drops his hands from the steering wheel and mirrors his son’s position, tilting his head so they’re both looking at each other.

“But you want there to be something going on?”

Sebastian brings up a hand to his face, his fingertips being concealed by his messy brown fringe, before groaning again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” They technically already are, but the question always seems to open things up a little a wider.

“One of her friends told me she liked me, so we started talking but she’s two years older than me and she’s been with other guys and I don’t know, I just don’t want to embarrass myself.”

“Why would you embarrass yourself? Also, you’re really lucky I married someone younger than me because other parents would have something to say about that, but uh, I guess I can’t talk.”

Sebastian squints at him questioningly, before rolling his eyes as his dad mouths out, ‘I’m kidding’.

“What if she says no?”

“Why would she say no?”

“I don’t know, but everyone already thinks I’m lame, so if she did…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, but Jeff gets the idea when he puffs out a sigh and looks to his feet.

“You’re not lame.”

“Dad, you don’t know my school.”

“I don’t… but you’ve been talking to her, so, surely you have some idea of whether she’d say yes or not?”

The car up ahead moves, leaving Sebastian to sigh and wait to continue the conversation when his dad’s full concentration isn’t needed. It takes a couple of minutes before they can talk again without stopping mid-sentence.

“Look, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Sebastian shrugs again and bites at his thumbnail.

“You have literally nothing to lose, you know that right?”

“Yeah I do! Everyone will make fun of me if she says no because I’ve never done this. You don’t understand.” Jeff has to grit his teeth when Sebastian starts kicking at the underside of the dashboard with his foot, but he _does_ understand, so he lets it slide unlike usual.

“Well, you shouldn’t take that attitude. Again, I can’t really talk because it took Mom leaving for me to say something, but if I _hadn’t_ had said anything _,_ you probably wouldn’t be here. I’m not saying you’re going to live happily ever after, but it’s worth the risk, right?”

The pout that appears on Sebastian’s face is definitely something he inherited from Jeff.

“So, what food _does_ she like?”

“Most things. But aren’t dinner dates kind of boring? Like what are you supposed to do other than eat?”

Jeff chuckles as he looks out his side mirror, trying not to come across as condescending but failing because if only Sebastian knew how much you come to appreciate a dinner date as a couple with kids.

“Well, you can do things before and after.”

“Like what?”

Jeff shrugs and rocks his head from side to side in thought.

“Go see a movie?”

“That’s also boring.”

“Well, I don’t know then! What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.”

“You’re the one who knows what she’ll enjoy doing.”

“Dad, I don’t know how to do this and you’re really not helping!”

“Well I don’t think you’re helping yourself!”

Their voices are both raising and getting higher, so much so that it would be hard to work out who’s who from a distance.

“What does that mean?”

“I just don’t understand why you’re so worried about it. If she likes you, then it doesn’t matter. Didn’t you say her friend told you she liked you? I wouldn’t be surprised if she asks you first.”

He has to ask again when Sebastian pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts fiddling with it for no reason.

“Or is there something else you’re worried about? Is it… you said she’s been with other guys. Is that the problem?”

“No. It’s more like, I-haven’t-been-with-any-girls, that’s the problem.”

“Ah.” Jeff nods when it clicks.

“I’m almost seventeen and all my friends have girlfriends and have, I don’t know, _done_ stuff.”

“Yeah and you know what? Most of them will regret it.”

“But again, you can’t talk, right? Because you’ve been with loads of people?”

Jeff closes his eyes for longer than a blink and tightens his grip on the steering wheel.

“If I had known I was going to meet Mom, _trust_ me, I would have waited. There’s a big difference between being in a relationship with someone who you love, and just being with them for the sake of it, and well, for… sex.”

“Dad…”

“Trust me. One day, you _will_ find someone, and you’ll be glad you didn’t waste it all on flings and random people at parties. You don’t have anyone to prove yourself to. I was only ever like it because I thought that if my dad ever came back, it would make him look at me as more of a man, but you don’t have to think like that. I don’t care what you do, you can make whatever decision you want to make. All I’m saying is, there’s no shame in the fact you’re still young and haven’t experienced what other people have experienced.”

“Yeah but that’s not what those other people think…”

“Well those other people don’t matter. We’re the Wingers, we don’t let other people get in our way.”

“That’s the lamest thing that has ever come out of your mouth.”

“The last time I checked, it was actually ‘I love you so much’, apparently.”

“That was Mom.”

“Oh.” Jeff chuckles again as he indicates left towards home.

“But just so we’re clear, in case things do go well… you know how to do everything right? You’ve got condoms? Because I--.”

“Oh my god shut up.” Jeff’s chuckle turns into fully blown laughter, his shoulders shaking as he grins mischievously. There’s nobody else driving down the road so he can just about manage to lean over and pull Sebastian into a one-armed hug as he pulls his hoodie over his head in embarrassment. He isn’t fully covered, though, so Jeff plants a kiss on his forehead.

“I didn’t even finish my sentence.”

“Trust me, you don’t need to.” Sebastian’s voice comes out strangled as Jeff moves away.

“I’m kidding, I know you have it all under control…” He turns into their driveway before finishing his sentence. “… _including your penis.”_

“I want to shoot myself in the head.”

“Ow, why? You _really_ wouldn’t be able to go on a date if you did that.” Jeff turns the engine off before unstrapping himself and climbing out the car to get the grocery bags from the trunk.

“You know you’re really not funny when you try to be, right?” Sebastian takes a bag from Jeff’s hand and follows him to the front porch, where Jeff fumbles around with the house keys.

“Mom doesn’t agree. She thinks I’m hilarious.”

Sebastian pushes past him once the door is unlocked, dumping the bag on the floor beside the shoe rack.

“I don’t want to know what Mom thinks!” He sprints upstairs before he can hear anything else Jeff has to say.

When Annie’s home, Finn’s back from soccer practice and everyone is in bed, Jeff has to ask her a quick question as she slides her hand up underneath his shirt.

“You think I’m funny, right?”

She hums against his ear before moving back into kiss him, her foot slowly drifting up the inside of his leg.

“Mhmm. I also think you’re sexy.”

She moves her hand lower and all Jeff can think is that life is pretty sweet; he _is_ living happily ever after.

“Yeah, you do. Now tell me what else you think…”


	120. Pay Attention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on an @imaginetheotp (on Tumblr) prompt.

**Post-S6 - 2016**

Sometimes Annie likes to declare the living room a work-only space, leaving Jeff to hide out in their bedroom so that she can get on with revising notes for her exams and piecing together files for her _actual_ paid, work. 

This is only the case if Jeff’s not working himself, which happens more often than not because he likes to leave most of his paper marking until the weekend or for his office, so he doesn’t have to bring anything home, so when the coffee table is covered in note cards and Annie’s hair is up in a bun as she sits crossed legged on the floor, he knows that it’s time to stay away, or at least be extremely quiet in his coffee making duties and press-ups on the floor.

She makes it known that she doesn’t actually mind the noise because she’s used to the background disturbances of school, and living in apartment with more than one person for longer than they’d lived together so far, but there’s something about seeing her so focused and working so speedily through what she needs to do that makes him tip-toe behind her and quietly click the bedroom door closed so that he can watch whatever’s on TV.

If she ends up working late into the evening, he makes sure to go in and check on her, giving her a shoulder rub if she needs it and filling up her glass of water or whatever beverage she requests.

Every now and then, though, he’s too lazy and distracted himself that he forgets and ends up lightly snoozing the time away, only to wake up to her moving about and making more noise than you’d expect for someone who’s supposed to be studying or getting things ready for the next day. This time, he’s so comfortable that his pillow and the sheets beneath him have molded to his shape, meaning the only thing he can manage to do is fumble around with his hand behind his head, searching for his phone on the nightstand.

He has to squint at the brightness of the screen because it’s dark now and the TV must have turned itself off, or maybe Annie walked in at one point to leave him in peace, so there’s nothing but a thin line of light coming from under the door, pointing its beam in a perfect diagonal line.

It’s almost 11.30 and they’re usually both in bed by now, especially on a weekday, so he pouts and starts tapping at his screen. He doesn’t want to disturb her because he knows it’s been a particularly busy week and she gets more frustrated by people trying to calm her than she does to just being left alone, so he sends a message before putting his phone back down and replacing it with the TV remote.

She’s actually on her laptop when her phone buzzes by her leg where she’s sat on the couch. She’d been in to check on Jeff (only to find him asleep with the news still on full volume) because he’d been particularly quiet all evening, and she doesn’t need to remind him that she’s perfectly okay with him going about his normal, loud business as she works, so she’s left slightly confused when he seems to not be even talking at all.

JEFF: Can u stop whatever u’re doing and pay attention to me now or is that not a thing anymore? :P

She rolls her eyes and smiles before putting her laptop down, a page of flights to LA left open because she’s pretty certain Jeff isn’t going to get up from bed and walk through to spoil her surprise birthday plans she’s been arranging for him.

His last birthday they’d spent at his mom’s house, the year before that she’s pretty certain he’d told everyone he was sick so that nobody would disturb him, and the year before that was the year she didn’t want to think about, so he seemed about due for something actually worth remembering, even if it was going to cost her a fair amount and it left no room for Christmas presents or much of a Thanksgiving dinner.

Plus, they enjoyed going to LA so much for New Year, that it seemed appropriate to go almost a year later. She missed Abed, so it gave her a good excuse to see him again, and even if he doesn’t admit it, she’s pretty certain Jeff misses him too.

She gets up and pads to their room, slowly pushing the door open so that she doesn’t end up spooking him. He turns over from where he’s lying to smile at her dopily, his eyes widening and becoming more awake as she skims past the end of the bed and hovers over him, cupping her hands on his cheeks so she can douse him in the attention he so badly needed. She presses a kiss to his lips before doing the same to what seems like every inch of his face, ending it with a kiss on his nose and a one below his ear, in which he sighs before so that he can return a kiss of his own to the side of her neck.

He closes his eyes in disappointment as she walks away eventually, but the effect is ruined because he has the widest smile on his face and he looks too smug to be annoyed with her departure from the room. She turns at the door, clasping her fingers around the wall.

“I’ll be done in about ten minutes. Sorry, I’ve just had a lot to do.”

He nods and smiles before mouthing, ‘Okay’ before she returns to her travel planning that he is completely unaware of. She curls up on his chest for a while before they finally get ready for bed, his hand soothingly stroking through her hair as they catch up on each other’s day.

“Are you okay?” She asks, returning a comforting gesture by lightly scratching and smoothing a hand up his chest and over his shoulder.

“Yeah. I could just do with a break.” He presses a kiss to her forehead and has to resist the temptation to go further because he _really_ doesn’t have the energy. She has to turn further into him so she can conceal her smirk.

“Me too.”


	121. Imagine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partly inspired by liz-marcs' and other people's headcanons on Annie not working for the FBI but aiming for something slightly smaller due to her history and experience. A conversation after the summer of her internship :)

Once she’s settled back into the Apartment 303 life, Annie finally gets some time away from Britta and her cats to at least start on whatever seems to be brewing between herself and Jeff. There’s not much going on and there doesn’t seem to be much more left of the summer weather so they just end up walking around the nicer part of Greendale, ending up at a park halfway between each other’s apartments, sat on a bench, knees touching.

Even though they spoke pretty much non-stop all summer and he’s heard it all before, Annie still fills most of the conversation with all of her exciting internship stories. It’s more vivid hearing it in real life, and he can see perfectly clear how enthusiastic she is about sharing every minute detail with him, but there’s something nagging in the back of his mind every time she draws to the close of something and lets him ask a question that leaves him wondering if she’s holding something back. It feels like, at every gap where he has a chance to add a comment and compare something to what he did during the time she was away, there should be a _‘But’_ there instead.

He thinks maybe he’s overthinking the whole scenario; walking alone together after leaving their relationship hanging in a positive space for the few months she was away – maybe he’s trying to find a clue to protect himself, just in case the clue adds up to something bigger. More negative.

But when they do finally seat themselves, she goes fairly quiet and twiddles her thumbs in her lap until he speaks up.

“So, the FBI then. You have your sights on that, so what’s next? I’m gonna’ presume there’s still a lot more to do, but that’s nothing you can’t handle, right?”

She twists her lips into a half smile, nodding as if she needs a moment to compile her answer, before looking away in the opposite direction. He can see her eyebrows raise and her eyes look upwards, which makes his own squint, questioningly.

For once in maybe over a year, she genuinely feels defeated. (The last time being the moment she realised she was in love with someone so much that she was willing to let herself go through heartbreak for their happiness). She knows that no matter how much she sugar-coats it all; the summer wasn’t perfect. It was great, like _really_ great, and she won’t ever forget it, but there’s a difference between greatness and perfection. Greatness is that feeling of knowing something is good for you; knowing that a moment is worth seizing, no matter what the outcome, but _perfection,_ is a whole different ball game.

You can only chase perfection. It’s a dreamlike perspective. Perfection would have been coming out and telling everyone she’d been given a job at the bright young age of twenty-five and that, that was it. But maybe that was the point of the whole summer. She needed to find herself, and search for what she needs outside of the craziness of Greendale and what she calls her home. It just so happens that finding herself meant realising that not everything you set your sights on can be reachable, because there are people and rules, and _history_ to get in your way.

She feels hopelessly pessimistic, like every hopeful bit of emotion is ready to crash down on her at any given moment, but then she remembers that the person sitting next to her is practically the King of Pessimism and that he’s bound to understand. Somehow, he’s always understood her.

“Actually… it’s like there’s _too_ much to do.”

She can see in the corner of her eye how he’s turned his head to face her fully. His eyes are still squinted in that concentrated expression he often puts on when something has his full attention.

“I might have my _sights_ on it, but it’s not that much of a possibility, at least not for _years,_ and by then I could be doing something else.”

Jeff’s brows furrow even further as he shakes his head.

“But you got in? They loved you? Everything you’ve ever done has been possible.”

“Yeah, but everything I’ve ever done _hasn’t_ been working at the headquarters of the FBI in Washington DC. It turns out that having one and a half degrees at Greendale and…” She pauses to let out a sigh and wave a hand in the air half-heartedly, “…a history of drug addiction isn’t really what they’re looking for.”

He leans forward in disbelief which surprises her. He of all people should know it’s never as simple as it seems.

“Drug addiction? Annie, that wa-.”

“Years ago, yeah. But, I…” She’s looking at him, but her eyes fall because it’s still all too hard to admit, “…I practically _stole_ to get myself into that scenario, and so I have that by name. Unfortunately, somewhere as prestigious as the FBI can’t make room for someone like me, so I guess, for once I _don’t_ actually know what’s next.”

She can hear him let out a breath and look down at his hand which is resting between them, inches away from brushing against her thigh. It makes sense that it wouldn’t necessarily be easy, but he can’t help sense that she’s blaming it all on herself. He inhales, this time, letting it out as he speaks.

“Do you want to know why I lied?” He asks rhetorically.

“Jeff, you don’t have to make me feel better.” Even the downturned look on her face proves that he almost certainly does, even though he knows she’d get through it without him, or anyone, in the end.

“I’m not. Okay, maybe I am, a little, but, just listen. Do you want to know why I lied? And cheated my way through everything? Because I _wanted_ it. I wanted to be a lawyer, it’s as simple as that. The not so simple thing about it is the fact that I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it if I didn’t fake it, because there are some things that are required that I’m just not good enough at, or at least I wasn’t _then_. But I _knew_ I could be good at it. It wasn’t the money, or, you know the-,”

“It wasn’t?” He snuffs out a laugh at Annie’s face when she realises that might not have been the best question to ask. She bites her lip and shakes her head for him to continue.

“If it was the money, I wouldn’t have stepped foot on campus. I could have gone and found some other worthless career to pursue, but instead, I attempted to work for it because I _loved_ being a lawyer. I… still do.”

He looks at her and she knows that she’s the one understanding him in the moment.

“But, it was _my_ fault that I had to stop. It was _my_ fault that I got busted and fired and got my license ripped away from me. It was _my_ fault, because, in the beginning, I decided that I would ignore the rules and laws and legislations. I might have been good at my job and I might have made a _shit_ tonne of money and made a good reputation for the firm, but it all started with _me.”_

Her lips are twisted again, but from the shine in her eyes, it’s not for a smile.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault that there’s a piece of paper out there saying that someone with a history of something _eight_ years ago when they were a… _teenager,_ can’t get a job. That’s not your fault, and that’s fine because you’re _working_ for it. You’re not going to cheat your way through or let anything stop you, you’re going to _work_ for it. You’re going to work for it and wait for someone to, I don’t know, pack up their office and hand it all over because they can see how smart and driven and…”

So, maybe there’s more of a smile there now when he stops and looks at her again. He has to lick his lips because he’s been talking so much and so quickly. He doesn’t even think when he finds her hand on her knee and holds it firmly.

“Whatever you end up doing, it’s going to be incredible, because everything you’ve done so far has _also_ been incredible, even if it doesn’t seem like it. I mean, you deserve _so_ much more credit. You’ve been through so much and you’ve _dealt_ with it, and here I am, almost… forty-two for god’s sake and I’m still _dealing_ with it.”

He looks away to think of how to wrap things up and it gives Annie a moment to watch him; to study his face and she ends up smiling more because the tiredness has gone from his eyes like it was before she left for DC, and his slouch isn’t so slouchy, and his smile lines are back where they belong.

“And you know what? You don’t have to worry about when it’s gonna’ happen because you have _so_ much time, and when you do get there, you don’t have to be like me and have a date set in your head or this idea of being sat at a table in some stuck up restaurant on your own. Even if that’s what you want, you shouldn’t imagine it being alone because trust me I know there’ll be someone there.”

Even _she_ knows are eyes are more than shiny now, as a tear forms on her waterline, because this is all coming from _him,_ from _Jeff,_ and it makes her wonder how much he needed this summer too.

“I don’t know who it will be but I do know that anyone would be a fool not to give you what you deserve.”

She also knows that he wants to be saying he’ll be there, because she can believe that now, after the _kiss,_ and the calls and the texts messages to see how she was after every long day.

“But come on, it was good, right? I bet your apartment didn’t smell like pot.”

Her small laugh blinks the tear down her cheek and he squeezes her hand like it’s as much as he can do other than wiping it away entirely.

“And I bet you didn’t get woken up by cats wailing your door, and by the photos you sent me, I know you had way too much fun in all the museums you visited.” She rolls her eyes when he grins at her, but then her face changes again and she’s biting her lip. She looks down at their hands intertwined, making him follow.

“It would have been nice to have had some company.”

He nods slowly because he can remember her mentioning him visiting several times, but there had been too many reasons why he shouldn’t.

“I needed some time to finish _dealing_ with stuff… and I’m still not done, so bear with me on that one.”

Jeff’s eyes flick up and down her face when they look at each other, and it feels rather bittersweet. It's bitter because Annie knows this is what she could have been experiencing for a long while now, and it’s sweet because she knows this is what she might well be experiencing for an even longer while _from_ now.

“And um, speaking of setting dates and things, I think… maybe… it’s about time that I, um… ask you a question.”

It’s definitely leaning more on the sweet side, though.

“Should I be recording this?” He knows she’s only teasing, but he has to put a stop to that idea, just in case.

“I’d rather you didn’t because I have no idea how this is going to go.”

She smiles bashfully, the kind of smile he fell in love with and doesn’t think he’ll ever stop falling for.

“So… do you… maybe…” He pauses and shakes his head because he’s not a middle schooler, “Do you want to go on a date with me? Sometime… soon?”

The look on her face doesn’t change too much, other than the odd blink, so he grimaces and looks away.

“That was the _lamest_ thi-.”

Her hands are cupping around his jaw but all he can feel is her lips and the slight lingering taste of the iced coffee she sipped at the start of their walk. She pulls away when he decides to respond, so all he can do is rapidly search her eyes for something; for a clue.

“You know, I think I’m still going to need some confirmation.”

She nods shyly, but she knows that won’t be enough so she brings her hands back down from where they’d fallen on his shoulders before answering.

“When’s soon?”

He seems to be much more nervous than he thought he was because he finds himself coughing into his shoulder and wiping his hands down his thighs because this is _really_ happening.

“Um… I’m not doing anything tomorrow.”

And see that’s the thing about not knowing what’s next - “It turns out I’m not doing anything tomorrow either.”

They instinctively turn so they’re sat back into the bench properly, their hands still together; Jeff’s thumb brushing against her knuckle.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

When Jeff rests his chin on the crown of her head as she sinks into his chest, the idea of being there when she finally does reach that incredible goal seems a quite a lot more plausible. He even takes a moment to imagine telling her that.


	122. The way you said I love you: With a hoarse voice, under the blankets

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/152726129025)** _

Somehow, Jeff found himself in a tent. The plastic inside was now dotted with condensation where hot breath had met cold winds on the outside, and the sleeping bag and blankets he was sharing were tucked up around his neck as tightly as possible to avoid a chill.

Even though she usually twisted away and gritted her teeth at it, he was breathing down Annie’s neck. She’d yet to complain because she was gaining some amount of warmth from it, and her equally as loud and stuttering breaths were blowing over his hands which were tucked up under her chin and across her chest.

A few weeks previous, she’d received an email from one of those discount websites that sign you up for any possible promotion in the area, and something about the word ‘retreat’ in the subject bar had drawn her in.

That’s the reason he was there. It hadn’t been terrible so far. They’d walked around the grounds and seen some woodland creatures in their natural and overgrown habitats, and he’d saved a picture of Annie cooing over a squirrel onto his phone, so overall, he had nothing to complain about. There hadn't been any bear attacks or irritating insects to spray away with whatever precautions Annie had packed in her bag, so again, there was nothing to complain about.

But, as the condensation started to drip and puddle by their shoes at the end of their double blow up bed, he found he had the right to let out a groaning grumble and shift onto his back so that Annie would follow and ask what the matter was.

“What’s wrong?”

He lifts his shoulder to shrug but because they’re so tightly bundled up to conserve heat, he barely moves an inch.

“Only you would make me do this.”

She scans his face and pouts a little, unsure as to how she should take the remark.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, only _you_ would somehow get me to stay in a tent for two nights in the middle of autumn for some sort of ‘romantic bonding experience’. The only bonding I see going on here is the bondage being created by this blanket.”

He nudges his nose against it before dropping his head back against his ice-cold pillow.

"I thought you were enjoying yourself earlier. You fit right in with that beard of yours; all outdoorsy and manly.”

She tucks herself up onto his shoulder, squishing her nose beneath the scrunched-up fabric of his sweater.

“I can't even prove my real manliness because it's too cold for my body to fully cooperate and there’s somebody else's tent,” Jeff stops to point at the shadow of the next door ‘neighbours’ that is visible on one wall of their plastic shelter, “right there.”

“We didn't come away for that.”

“Yeah but having sex in a tent is something to cross off the bucket list… or _your_ bucket list. I’ve already checked that one off.”

That earns him a shove in the sleeping bag and a scrunched-up face of disgust. 

“Ew.”

He grins at her, watching her face contort into something more amused. And that’s when he realises, even the cold and the water most probably seeping into his shoes isn't even that much of a big deal or concern.

He’s wrapped up with Annie now curled into his side, one arm over his stomach, with a calm silence and serenity hanging over them. He can turn over and place a kiss on her temple and have that be the only thing that matters. She didn't even let him bring his phone; it's back in his car with no reception.

He gives her the kiss that he'd been thinking of, before pulling her hand up a little tighter across his shoulder. He can feel her fuzzy sock covered toes curling up beside his calf, and there’s something strangely soothing about the sensation that it causes his eyes to droop.

“I love you.” His voice is scratchy and his lips barely part because he can't muster up the energy to word it properly, but it's okay because she hears him loud and clear.


	123. The way you said I love you: Muffled, from the other side of the door

_**Post-S5 - Prompted by zacscottysnl ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/152726129025)** _

As much as he knew Annie’s reaction to what happened in Borchert’s Lab wouldn’t be one of ease and simplicity and bold return confessions of love, he entertained the idea of it being _just that simple_ several times over the summer. It was mainly all in his head; daydreams and perfectly worded monologues, and mental mumbles of ‘I love you’ as she walks out of the door of his apartment when she surprisingly arrives with the rest of the group one week.

They’ve hardly seen each other but he doesn’t want to think about it for too long because otherwise, he winds up believing that she’s avoiding him, which now that he thinks about it again, is probably the painfully accurate truth.

His coping mechanism for situations he’s never had to deal with before (like, realising he’s deeply, madly, sickeningly in love) is usually to sulk and blow it off like nothing ever happened, but after a while it all becomes too much of a weight on his shoulders and he ends up doing things like he is now, drinking himself silly so that his brain forgets about the fact she _wouldn’t_ respond like people do in the movies.

His judgement of the situation is slightly skewered because everyone is there, sat around a dimly lit and sticky wood top surfaced table in Britta’s bar. Nobody’s focusing on how much alcohol he’s consuming or how his comments and remarks are becoming slightly more morbid by the second, so when everyone gets up to leave, nobody pays much attention to how he slips into the back of Annie’s car and joins herself and Abed on their way home, slumping up their steps behind them. 

Abed presumes he’s coming upstairs for some sort of nightcap, or that he’s too far gone to call a cab to his own apartment, so he shrugs and leaves him be on the couch in the living room.

Annie must be feeling somewhat pitiful for him though because she rolls her eyes and grabs him a bottle of water from the kitchen before fluffing a pillow and telling him he’s allowed to get comfy. He slurs out a thank you, resisting the impulse to wave out a hand and clasp his fingers around her wrist before she locks herself away for the night. 

He lets out a groan when he realises he’s just made himself _their_ problem, and that in the morning there’s going to be some kind of intervention over what he was doing and why he couldn’t have got himself home, so he pops the cap on the bottle and gulps down as much as his stomach can handle before heaving himself up onto his feet. He fumbles around to find his phone, hitting the call button on the first cab number he has listed on his phone, and paces back and forth in a line that would in no way get him out of a DUI.

He gets a text to say the cab will be arriving in five minutes, so it gives him some time to wonder some more before heading downstairs. His eyes droop close and he ends up slumping against a wall, tilting his head before realising he’s propped himself up outside of Annie’s bedroom. He ends up laughing breathily, hunching up his shoulders and making his eyes crease because he feels like a complete fool.

“I’m a fucking idiot.”

His voice is loud enough that anyone could hear if they pushed their ear up to the wall, but not loud enough that you’d hear just walking by. He doesn’t want to hear how pathetic he is, echoing throughout the room. So, he turns his head again and laughs a bit more, before parting his lips to say it. She wouldn’t hear from where he’s standing, but at least he’d know what it would feel like to say it aloud.

He barely evens opens his mouth, just in case he is being audible. That would make the whole situation even worse because he’d have to explain that he was drunk but he still meant it. For a moment that seems a little better than what will probably end up being reality; at least he could get it over and done with.

“Iloveyou.”

“Ifuckingloveyou.”

“And I’m such a fucking jerk.”

His phone vibrates in his trouser pocket, and he laughs again.

“And once again, I’m going home alone.”


	124. The way you said I love you: Too quick, mumbled into your scarf

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl, rather-be-free and loosey-goosey ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/152726129025)** _

When it comes to New Year celebrations, Jeff’s idea of a good night is to curl up on the couch with a cold beer and pop off the cap when the clock strikes, watching the fireworks and money wasting celebrations across the world glare back at him on the TV.

A few years back, to get out of whatever firm or study group arranged event, he would have played the date card or the sick card, or the ‘I missed my mom at Thanksgiving _and_ at Christmas so I probably owe this to her’ card, but now, the only card he can play is the one going into the ATM so he can buy himself and Annie two even _colder-than-refrigerated-beer_ plastic cups of champagne from a stall in the city, that is lined up for the fireworks display they’re about to witness in real life, high definition.

Last year hadn't been that different from any year previous, except when it hit midnight, he’d bent down to kiss Annie, escaping from their friends as soon as it turned into something more than just a celebratory peck on the corner of her smile.

The set-up had been the same, though; nothing too intimate, just Britta’s bar, a load of drunks and the local countdown on the TV. Frankie had dropped by and Craig had been ordering cocktails non-stop, so it hadn’t felt like anything different. He still had to worry about who got home with who and when, and he didn't get to focus on what (or who) he wanted to focus on because the night was too full of distractions.

But now he’s here, walking away with some cheap champagne in one hand, and Annie’s mitten-covered fingers in the other, heading for an open spot between a crowd of families and some teenagers hanging over a railing, it suddenly dawns on him that there is nobody else and that there are no distractions.

This is _their_ New Year. Annie had been telling him for weeks how they should start celebrating things on their own after all the years of relying on the group; he just hadn't realised how _new_ it would feel.

He pulls up his hood, lined with overly priced and designer labelled faux fur when Annie drops his hand to rummage through her bag for lip balm. When she’s sorted, she finds his hand in the dark once more, squeezing it a little as she rocks back and forth on the heels of her boots.

There’s a loud cry from somewhere further down the street, and then suddenly everyone around them starts erupting, calling out the seconds until another round of 365 days begins.

Annie leans back against his left arm, tucking her head into his chest a little, allowing his hand to stroke up and down her own arm, both to show some sort of affection and to keep her warm. He’s certain he hears one of the kids to his right shout out the number 15, so he looks down at her again, watching the way her eyes dance and her lashes flutter in the street light opposite.

He moves his hand and tugs onto her scarf that is piled up over her shoulders and around her neck, making her shift and turn to look up at him. He sweeps in, crushing her champagne and hand between his coat and her chest so that he can pull her into a hug.

He takes a deep breath as if to inhale the memory, the moment, and the scent of her, because sure, tomorrow isn't going to be a whole lot different to today; it's just a new date to try and not forget to write down. But it's also the start of a new year. A new year in which will mark new memories and will be what reminds him of the past, in the future.

He doesn't know what the year will entail. It could be the year he finally goes after the career he’s been wanting all along; it could be the year that he drops down to one knee and finally asks the question he’s been dreaming of asking; and it could also be the year where he starts to accept that it's actually not that much of a dream.

Him standing there, with his arms around Annie and his nose in her scarf, is reality. It’s _his_ , and he can live it and touch it and breathe it, and learn from it.

_5 seconds._

“I love you.” His voice is deep and it's more of a shout over all the buzz going on around them, but she finally scoops her arms up around his back, so he knows his voice broke through to her.

He holds on until the first sizzling light launches into the sky, crackling over their heads. They stand back, arms touching, necks craned to the sky.

Annie looks up to watch a cartwheel, but she ends up watching it in Jeff’s eyes; the red dots fading out as he lets out a gasp of wonder, his lips parted.

She smiles to herself because it’s her reality too. He’s choosing every day to be with _her_ when he could have chosen anybody. Out of all the millions of people standing outside, tilting their chins up and taking it all in; she’s the one who he’s chosen to stand next to.

Before he takes his first sip of his drink, Jeff presses his lips to her temple and breathes in a little bit more.


	125. The way you said I love you: Loud, so everyone can hear

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/152726129025)** _

“Where’s my wife?” Jeff’s swinging back and forth slightly, turning away from one of his cousins that had stuck around for the reception, listening respectfully to whatever sappy and slightly drunken nonsense that is spurring out of him. He’s looking around rapidly, not caring that his drink was dripping down his glass a bit as he waved it carelessly in the air. His mom pats him on the shoulder and points in her new daughter-in-law’s direction, winking between the both of them, taking Jeff’s drink from his hand as he’s momentarily distracted.

“Wife! Come here.” Annie rolls her eyes before excusing herself from the conversation she’s a part of, scurrying towards Jeff as quickly as she can without tripping over her dress and heels. Although he’s had a few drinks, Jeff’s not quite drunk enough to feel no embarrassment over his behaviour at all, so when she reaches for his hand he smiles shyly and laughs into her hair as he pulls her close.

“Just because we’re married now doesn’t mean I should come at your every beck and call.”

He smirks before turning them around in a spin that is in no way in time with the current song on their playlist.

“No, but it totally means you’re obliged to spend more time with me than the guests at _our_ wedding.”

Annie sighs and rests her cheek against the lapel of his waistcoat; his suit jacket is long gone, taken back to their honeymoon suite by his mom, specifically hung up on a velvet covered hanger because she knows how much of a fuss he’d make it if it had just been thrown onto one of those cheap hotel ones which don’t even have proper hooks to avoid people stealing them.

“I _do_ need to go and say goodbye to my friend Charlotte, though, so I’ll have to leave you be for just one minute, okay?” Annie pulls away and pouts at him pointedly, lowering her chin apologetically before he lets her hands slip away. He tilts his head and lets her drift back off to the other side of the room, standing alone to bob his head along to the next new song playing on the overhead speakers of the venue.

He smiles to himself, watching Annie air kiss her work friend that he’d met a couple of times over the years. He smiles even wider when he realises how many years it’s been, and how many more he now has to come.

“I love you!” He has no control, so he blurts it out just as she turns back in his direction. A couple of guests still milling around turn their heads, and he’s certain he can hear Shirley cooing from where she’s sat.

“Sucker!” Chang passes by, sliding his feet across the floor in a rhythmic motion towards the drinks table. Jeff’s almost tempted to shout back a retort, but he doesn’t have the energy to waste on comments which hardly mean anything anymore. If he’s a sucker, then so be it. He’s the luckiest sucker on the planet.

“Aww, I love you too…” Annie cups her hands up and around Jeff’s face, moving them to the back of his neck as he goes in for something deeper, before pulling back so that their noses are touching, “… _husband.”_


	126. The way you said I love you: As we huddle together, the storm raging outside

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by rather-be-free ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/152726129025)** _

“And with married life, comes terrible weather.”

They were standing side by side, watching as the rain came down in sheets across the road outside of their apartment, puddles becoming rivers running up and down in every direction. It created a roaring sound outside and was made even louder by the cracking thunder and lightning above.

“Well, it's definitely a contrast to our honeymoon.” Annie pouts, tilting her head as she crosses an arm over her chest, clasping her fingers around the top of the other.

“I told you, we should have stayed and started up a multilingual family with a load of stray cats.”

“Are you saying the cats would be multilingual, or the kids?”

“Both.” Jeff winks before turning to kiss Annie on the head, smoothing his hand down her hair to cup his palm around her neck. She rolls her eyes before leaning back into him, noticing the way he moves his hand and rests it on her shoulder, his still new wedding ring on full show.

“You haven’t gotten used to it, have you?” He smirks before shaking his head.

“I never want to. I want to wallow in this feeling of knowing I’m the only man you will ever sleep with for the rest of your life.”

“Um, I’m pretty sure you’ve been wallowing in that feeling ever since we decided to start having sex, _five_ years ago.”

“Ah yeah, but now it's official. It's written down on paper, there’s no going back.”

Annie rolls her eyes again before turning inwards, sliding her hands around his waist.

Lightning flashes and lights up the room, the rumble following on a few seconds later. Jeff can feel Annie’s grip tighten, so he steps a little closer into her hug and rests his cheek on the crown of her head. He lets her settle again as the rain suddenly dies down, her grasp loosening and her shoulders dropping into a more relaxed position.

“What do you wanna’ do?” He asks, swinging them both from left to right slightly, on the spot.

“Cosy up and watch a movie.”

“There might be a power cut soon, though.”

She lifts her head and watches him, pouting adorably with her chin against his chest.

“Are you just saying that because you’re tired?”

He doesn't even bother to hide the truth; he just nods and kisses her nose.

“Well, we can cosy up and cuddle in bed if you want.”

“Yeah and you can give me a shoulder massage.” Jeff raises his eyebrows when she looks up again, his smile growing as she steps away and leads him to their bedroom by the hand.

The rain is still pouring down and there’s still a consistent droning groan of the storm in the background, but it makes things even more intimate like they’re locked away in their own world with nobody to hear or notice them.

Jeff lies back against the pillows as Annie crawls onto the mattress with him, perching her knees on the outside of his, before reaching for the hem of her blouse. Jeff’s eyes are dark and wide and she knows the exact moment the evening has changed when he moves his hands and settles them on her thighs.

She pulls her top over her head, letting it drop to the floor as she brushes her hair out of her face. Jeff’s left to steady his breathing, trying not to move too fast because it’s obvious this is a time for taking things slow.

Once her bra is off, though, he raises an eyebrow because she seems to have stilled. But then she tugs on his t-shirt and he’s following suit, until their both down to nothing after taking each piece in turn. Annie doesn't do the expected either, she doesn't rise above him even though he’s clearly ready, she simply motions for him to turn over so his hands are up over the pillows and the rest of his body is limp and laid out.

“Shoulders, right?”

He would usually laugh or snort, or tell her she was joking, but he’s so confusingly relaxed and aroused that he shrugs instead, closing his eyes when her hands find the curve of his neck.

He lets out a moan, “Oh my god, I _love_ you.”

“Good, huh?”

“Amazing. _Amazing. You_ are amazing.”

“I should really do this more often when you compliment me like that.”

“Yes, yes you should,” He pauses as she eases out a knot a little harder, “you _reallllllllly_ should.”

She shifts on him, so she can crouch down and kiss him behind his ear. He lets out a satisfied sigh, before bringing his hand around to squeeze her hip and make her grind down on him again.

A loud crackle comes from outside at the same moment, making her jump and fall forward so that Jeff can feel every inch of her body pressed against his.

“And _also_ with married life, comes the best cuddles and sex anyone could dream of.”


	127. The way you said I love you: A taunt, with one eyebrow raised and a grin bubbling at your lips

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by loosey-goosey ([Prompt list)](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/152726129025)** _

Annie's humming around the apartment, picking up stray clothes and the socks which Jeff always seems to lose in random crevices. He only wears socks when he has shoes on so as soon as he’s untied his laces, he usually flings them off, uncaring of where they land. It’s started to become a habit with his other clothes too, though, and she knows it’s only because he now has the constant help of two other hands around the place. 

He’s fine when it comes to his best clothes, and his shirts, and anything that couldn’t possibly get creased at the elbows, but work-out gear and his sweatpants and anything which he’s been wearing non-stop for years tends to end up scrunched up into unsightly piles.

The biggest load of dirty laundry ends up around the laundry basket in the kitchen, where he throws it with terrible aim from the bedroom door. There’s also a similar situation going on in the bathroom, where he puts his dirty underwear on _top_ of the basket, rather than inside it because it’s less effort than having to lift the wicker lid and put it back down again before having a shower or bath.

Her humming comes to a stop when she remembers their conversation a few days ago, about how he needs to _stop_ this habit especially when he’s known for taking such care with his appearance and belongings. He’d sort of shrugged and laughed before picking the offending items up in front of her, traipsing to the kitchen to load up the machine.

She takes a deep breath before biting down on her lip, crossing her arms over her chest and putting on a stern expression that she knows he’ll fall for. She walks out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and into the living room where he’s sat on the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table as he lounges about in just a pair of long comfy boxers, a PlayStation controller in his hand.

“Jeff?”

“Yeah?” He’s squinting at the screen, reading through some options that are glaring back at him.

“Can you come to the bathroom for a second?”

“Why? Have we got a leaky tap again?”

“No.”

Her blunt response makes him turn his head over his shoulder, his eyebrows lifting so that his nose looks even pointier than it usually does. She squeezes her lips together to avoid smiling.

“Please, can you just come here?”

He rolls his eyes and drops his controller onto a pillow before standing up and following her, scratching his beard once he’s in the bathroom because he’s almost certain he knows where things are heading.

“What did we talk about the other day? I know I can do it because we _live together,_ but come on now, this is getting ridiculous.” She points her hand to the socks and boxers strewn across the bathroom floor; there’s one sock hanging on the edge of the towel dryer. 

He looks at her for a long moment, before rolling his eyes again. He bends down and picks up the majority of his laundry in one hand before standing and turning to the door. Annie’s in the way, though, her arms still crossed and her face still blank.

He nods his head forward when he realises she’s serious about this whole issue.

“You’re seriously mad at me?”

She nods several times.

“I know it might seem like a small thing, but you don’t treat any of your other things like this so _please_ could you just put a little bit more effort into clearing up all of,” She waves a hand at what he’s holding, “ _this!_ ”

“Alright! I’ll do it!”

“Will you?”

“Yes! Come on. I’ll make sure to put my things into the _basket_ instead of on the floor. Okay?”

“You promise?”

“I promise…” His expression softens and his shoulders drop from where he’d hunched them up to respond to her screeching voice of irritation, “…and… I _love_ you.” Jeff raises an eyebrow and tilts his head, his smirk verging on a grin which makes her nostrils flare.

“No! No! You can’t do that! You can’t just say I love you and it be fine.” He laughs and his grin becomes devilish as he darts out of the room. Annie grabs a towel from the dryer before chasing after him, slapping the towel through the air behind him.

“See? I’m putting them in the basket.” Jeff raises his eyebrows again as he slowly places his clothes into the identical basket in the kitchen, biting his bottom lip as she stops in the living room, twisting a corner of the towel around one of her fingers.

“You’ve made a promise now, you know, that, right?”

He nods slowly as he walks over to her, pulling the towel from her hand.

“I know.” His voice is genuinely soft this time and his eyes have that droopy love-struck look about them and it’s so hard to resist falling for his charm that she has to close her own.

“And I really do love you. I’m not joking.”


	128. Making the bed together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't posted any in a while, but I've been working on a multi-chapter WIP and I'd kind of planned on not posting anything until I was done but... oh well, here we are with two new prompts! Enjoy!

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl** _

“Jeff, get up.”

“Nmn...” He’s head down in his pillow, his hair spiked up at the back and his arms splayed out in opposite directions, the sheets tugged down his back where Annie is clasping on to them, fully dressed and stood up beside him. 

“Jeff, come on.”

“M’no.”

“Jeff, come on, you know I have to go in twenty minutes. If you just get up and help me make the bed then I’ll be happy and ready to go.”

“I don’t w’nna.” 

“Well, tough.”

He snorts as he exhales, every breath coming out as a muffled snore as he carries on drifting in and out of sleep. The noise he makes startles even himself though, making him turn over and snap open his eyes.

Although his eyes are still blurry where he hasn’t adjusted to light or rubbed them with his hands, he doesn’t miss how she drops her own eyes down the length of his body. He flashes his eyebrows up and down but she doesn’t respond, she just stands still with folded arms, the edge of the sheet still hooked around her finger. 

“Make me.”

She shrugs and tilts her head. 

“Fine, I’ll go and dump all of your hair products down the toilet. _Then_ you’ll have to get up.”

He groans, leaning his neck back so he can stare up at the ceiling and avoid her pointed glare. He’s being stubborn at this point because he knows today is a busy day and neither one of them has time to waste in bed, but there’s something entertaining about pushing her and seeing how far she’ll go in an attempt to end his lounging about. 

She sighs and drops the sheet in a huff, storming past the end of the bed into the bathroom, making an exaggerated noise with everything she does. 

“Someone’s in a bad mood today.”

He bites his lip with a grin when she responds, calling out. 

“Don’t tell someone who’s in a bad mood that they’re in a bad mood, Jeff. Just get out of bed already.” She’s making a clattering noise with drawers and cupboard doors but he feels confident enough that she won’t actually waste anything of importance to him. But then again, she doesn’t exactly go easy when using the products herself, so he shakes his head, pushes off of the mattress and finds her in the bathroom, a hand on one hip and the other on the sink countertop.

“Dammit.” 

“Thank you. Now you can help me.”

She doesn’t give him any more of her time, she just breezes past and starts smoothing out the sheets and comforter, letting him follow and succumb to fluffing pillows. 

“I know why you’re cranky.” 

“Please stop telling me I’m cra-.”

“It’s just a haircut.”

She rolls her eyes and he knows he’s got her because she carries on talking about the bed.

“Can you pass me that corner?”

He reaches over and she steps back with it, fiddling with the fabric of the as he steps around the bed and circles her in a hug. 

“Is _that_ why you targeted my hair care collection?”

She steps back in his arms, swatting at his chest. 

“Stop.” Pouting, she sighs again.

“You’re going to look amazing, I know you will. And anyway, if anyone should be worried it should be me. You woke up this morning and didn’t even say one _word_ about how great I look.”

She sighs fully then as he grins down at her, her shoulders drooping and her whole body relaxing into his. He leans down so his lips are brushing her ear as he drops his voice to a whisper. 

_“Can I make you a coffee before you go and shave your hair off?”_

_“I’m not shaving it off, but yes, okay.”  
_

_“Okay... I love you.”  
_

_“Mhmm.”  
_


	129. Eating cereal in bed together

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by zacscottysnl** _

Sunday’s their full day off, except when Annie has assignments which take her more time than expected and she has to run over their plans, but mainly, it’s a day for enjoying each other’s company before their different duties split them up for another five days. Jeff makes them breakfast in bed and it feels like part of their own personal ritual, something they haven’t shared with anyone else before. In fact, one weekend when they visit his mom, they feel out of place not having their routine in place. 

Today, he can’t stop staring at her. 

She’s propped up with pillows, a bowl of cereal in her hand as the weather is displayed on TV. He’s slouched down lower with his cup of coffee balancing on his t-shirt, so she would be able to easily catch him watching her if she was paying attention, but she’s not, she’s just eating and looking straight ahead. 

She looks different but he’s known her with shorter hair before, it’s just now that she’s older and she has her own style and she holds herself differently and it shows her off in a new light. She still looks insanely beautiful and the soft curls in the new length are still utterly fantasy worthy, so he just can’t get his head around why she would ever be worried about what he thinks. 

She kept watching his face and tucking it behind her ear and hiding her face behind it all the same when she came home yesterday, yet all he was doing was smiling and wanting to reach out and comb his fingers through it. 

“You look beautiful, you know.”

She’s so concentrated on the TV that she’s not only tapping her spoon into an empty bowl but she seems surprised to see him fully awake and talking even though he’s been up for longer than she has. 

“Hmm?”

“I said you look beautiful. I like it.”

“Oh.” She smiles and rests the bowl down in her lap. 

When she doesn’t say thank you or smile back at him some more or respond how she normally would, he turns and places his coffee on the nightstand before rolling over to her so he can prop his chin on her hip. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I just don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I do like it; I _love it,_  I just don’t want it to become, like, my defining feature now that I have _short_ hair. I know it’s a big deal for me to change something up so drastically, but I just want it to be me.”

“Hey, what are you talking about? You could have blue hair and I’d still love you. But if that _were_ the case, what would my defining feature be?”

She ignores him for a moment as she puts down her bowl and settles down towards his level to stroke a hand through his own hair, the TV now drowned out by their personal bubble. 

“Hmm… your big nose? Oh, no, your big forehead?”

He drops his mouth open and his eyes bulge and she knows exactly what’s coming next. 

“If you’re going to point out anything big, at least let it be my big–.”

“Nope.” She covers his mouth with her hand and squeals as he moves away and flips her on top of him. 

“ _Heart,_ Annie. Heart. Get your filthy mind out of the gutter.”

She laughs on top of him and he brushes her hair out of his face so he can kiss her, and he kind of likes how it doesn’t get in the way as much as before. He can see more of her, and that’s a good thing, seeing as he can never get enough. 


	130. Dropping hints so he'll give you his jacket

_**Post-S6 - Prompted by bumblebeeslies** _

They haven’t been officially dating for long so she’s unsure about whether she should ask outright for his jacket, especially as the last time he offered, he whipped it away from her several seconds later. Instead of doing just that, she’s decided to play it cool and test the waters... see if he’ll pick up on it and do just the same, yet hopefully with a little more trust. 

“Autumn is definitely on its way, huh?” She asks, skimming her feet over a leaf or two on the ground as they take a walk on campus. She only has one more semester to finish, so they’re embracing being in each other’s company so easily. 

“Yeah I guess, it’s nearly October and everything.”

“Yeah, it’s chillier too. I practically wore a summer dress every day in DC, and now I’m back in my cardigans.”

“They look cute, though.”

Maybe he would just let her have it. It’s not like they haven’t moved forward in their relationship in the past few weeks... which makes her stomach do a flip inside of her because it really is a relationship now. He put his cards on the table after only two days of her being back home. 

“They don’t really keep my neck very warm, though, especially with this breeze.” He pouts at that as she scrunches up her shoulders, and he goes to step forward. Instead of slipping out of his jacket, he cups his hands on her shoulders and rubs them, walking behind her for a few steps before stopping her and kissing along the nape of her neck. 

They haven’t _been_ there yet or done much more than hands over clothes (which surprisingly, was Jeff’s idea), but every now and then they’ll tease each other with the thought and it will leave them both feeling tingly in every sense of the word. A student walks out of a back door, though, so he stops and goes back to walking beside her. 

The idea of dropping hints distracts from the prickling heat up her neck that makes the need for a jacket even more prominent because the wind creates a contrasting chill. 

“I should probably get a new jacket...”

He slows down his pace then but she doesn’t realise until she’s passed the incoming student and is about to turn a corner. He’s holding out his jacket, with a squint and a smile on his face as she bites her lip.

“Was I really that obvious?”

“Yeah, just a little.”


	131. Warm Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I needed to write some sap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Title from that Lukas Graham song)

Jeff is propped up on the pillows and lying on top of the sheets when she wakes up; he had to go in and out in the night because Finn is still recovering from a cold and he needed the level of attention that had Jeff falling asleep before he’d even attempted to climb in beside her. She watches whilst lying on her side, the duvet scrunched up under her arms.

His head is tilted away from her as he droops down with his mouth open so he’s making that gentle snoring noise he makes that she’s always found adorable. His hair is poking out in every direction and his stubble his getting thicker where he hasn’t shaved in a few days. He doesn’t grow out his beard much anymore even though she says the grey only adds to his appearance. He still worries about ‘being old’ in his quiet moments but she knows that when he’s awake and alive and living and he has an eight and a five-year-old to look after, all of that is just superficial and they’re insecurities he can deal with now.

He’s wearing a long sleeve lounge top with buttons at the neck and a pair of matching sweatpants and the view calms her into a stillness with a smile on her face. She doesn’t really want to wake him but she knows that within ten minutes both the boys will be awake and the dog will be scratching at the door to be fed and she’ll take whatever spare moment they have of the morning alone together, that she can get.

She traces a finger up his chest, skimming over his neck to brush it up over his chin and onto his nose before circling down around his eye and back up again. He blinks even though his eyes are closed and swallows, but stays still, so she smiles again and runs her finger back up in its path. When she does it for the fifth time, her fingertip reaches his lips and they part in a soft bite so he can capture it in his mouth and grip it gently between his teeth.

She scoots closer and kisses his shoulder.

“Can I have my finger back?”

He breathes over it and shakes his head with his eyes still closed whilst she leans in again and leaves herself nuzzled into his side. He smells of fresh laundry and warmth and the blueberry scented shampoo that Sebastian and Finn use and a little bit like toothpaste from where he got them ready for bed last night but she inhales it nonetheless.

He finally moves her finger and holds her hand against his shirt with his own, breathing and taking his time. He yawns and scrunches up his nose and so she looks up at him through her lashes. She thinks that maybe he’s forgotten but they’ve been planning today for weeks, months even, so she waits.

He looks down at her for the first time and then back to their hands, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles before finally speaking up.

“Ten years of marriage. How’d we manage that?”

Annie lifts her shoulder, her vest strap falling off her arm in the process.

“I don’t know.”

His jaw twitches into a pout before turning into a dazed smile.

“I do.” He dips his head and nuzzles her nose until her eyes close, “We love each other.”

She meets him half way and it’s barely a kiss because he’s pulling her forward so that she’s resting on his chest and he’s clutching her shoulders and her back so he can kiss the curve of her neck.

“I love you.”

He can feel her grin against his arm when she responds the same before he lets her go so he can scoot down and stare at her where she’s staring at him right back. They’re used to this now, just watching each other until one of them breaks or until Jeff decides to pull a face and make her break first, which is usually what happens most of the time.

“Ow… no, ahah.” She smiles and laughs and he tries to keep his voice down when he starts laughing too. He can’t help himself so he falls forward to kiss her again, messy and all over the place, his hand going straight to her hair. She’s still giggling under her breath when she bites his lip so he uses being out of the bed to his advantage so he can roll over the top of her and press her back into the pillows, nibbling down her neck and tugging down her vest even further so that he can press kisses over every inch of skin it reveals.

When her fingers slide through his hair and he breathes against her, he knows they should stop because although they really need some well-deserved time alone, they still have two kids to get to a friend’s house and breakfast to be made. He kisses her shoulder one last time before drawing back onto his knees.

“I’m going to make you breakfast like the good husband that I am.”

“Noo… I was going to make _you_ breakfast.” She has her hands on his chest, curling the fabric between her fingers.

“No, I am.”

“No, you stayed up and dealt with the kids last night. I’ll make breakfast and deal with them this morning. _You_ can finish packing your bag.” He lowers his chin to kiss one of her hands before dropping to the side and bouncing down onto his back.

“And dealing with that.” She pokes his thigh and he looks down grabbing a pillow from the end of the bed to conceal himself before rubbing a hand down his face.

“Yeahhh, we really need tonight.”

When she’s out of bed and passes him on the way to the door, he holds out his arm and manages to manoeuvre her into kissing him again. When she finally vacates his presence, she calls out over her shoulder whilst opening the door.

“Love you!”

* * *

 

“Where are you going?” Sebastian asks.

“Me, and Mommy,” Jeff closes the dishwasher with Finn in his arms, clicking it shut with a pained expression as he tries to do it with only one free hand, “are going,” it finally closes so he hoists Finn up into his arms more comfortably, “away for the night.”

“Whyyyyyyy? Why can’t I come? I never get to go anywhere.”

“Seb, that’s not true, you literally went to the theme park last week.”

“But not with you and Mommy.”

“That’s because ” Jeff kisses Finn on the head before placing him down onto the floor so that he can zip up his duffel bag on the floor and grab the car keys from the bowl by the door, “we sometimes need time alone, especially today because it’s our anniversary and that’s important to us. You know, there was a time before when you guys didn’t exist and we got to spend _so_ much time together.”

“Daddy?” Finn’s been following his every move ever since he put him down, his teddy’s ear dangling from his mouth.

“Yes, Finn?”

“I don’t want to go to their house.”

“Hey, you’re going to be fine okay, you’re gonna have fun!” Jeff ruffles his hair before checking his watch, looking over to the stairs to see if Annie’s making any progress on checking all the rooms and making sure nobody’s left anything.

“Honey, come on!” He calls up before pointing his finger and nodding his head towards Sebastian. “You got everything?”

“Yeah.”

“You look after your brother today, okay?”

Sebastian nods before walking over in a sulk, nudging into Jeff’s side.

“We’re not going forever, okay? It’s just like when Mommy goes away but this time it’s only for one night and Daddy’s going too.”

“Okay, I’m ready. Uh, Jeff, did you grab my purse?” Annie calls down, walking down the stairs in a tight-fitting pair of pants and a blouse that hangs off her shoulders.

“Yeah, I got it here.” He throws a thumb over his shoulder, winking at her when she catches his eye.

“Okay boys, come on. We gotta’ go. Including you.” He scratches the dog’s head, attaching his lead on the way out.

They’re outside by the car within a few minutes, Sebastian and Finn strapped in and kicking their legs against the front seats with the dog in between them. Jeff’s still filling the trunk so Annie reaches up behind him and smooths over his sweater.

“Hey.” He turns his head and meets her nose on his shoulder, so he taps it with a finger before swiftly returning his attention to the car to close the back down and sit down in the drivers’ seat opposite her.

“Ready? Sebby? Finn?” He pauses, “Beautiful wife?” Annie leans back on her headrest and grins at him before leaning behind and asking the same question.

“Ready?”

They both bob their head but Jeff’s already started driving.

* * *

 

“Oh, my _god…_ how long has it been?”

Jeff’s laying on his stomach with the hotel bed sheets flung over his legs whilst he breathes into the curve of her hip, her fingers stroking through his hair to the damp spot at the back of his neck. She bites her lip and trails further.

“Three and a half weeks?”

“Oh brother, can we just stay here forever?”

“What and just never see the kids again?”

“Nah, they can come visit.”

She laughs whilst kneading into his shoulders now, making him emit a throaty groan.

“I miss moments like this.” She smiles at him as he snaps his attention up to her, the lines on his face deepening. The sides of his hair are greying but his skin looks dewy and glowing and she knows he’ll forever be youthful.

“Me too.”

“Do you remember when I was pregnant with Sebastian and we went through all that planning and telling ourselves that as parents we would always go away and take mini breaks all the time? We’ve been on three. _Three_ in the past eight years.”

“Yeah, I know. We should do it more but, maybe it’s a sign we don’t need them?”

“Maybe. But it’s still nice.” She threads her fingers through his hair again, brushing back into spikes.

“Pick a favourite moment.”

“Hmm?” He kisses her hip when she hums questioningly.

“Pick a favourite moment from the past ten years.”

“I can’t pick a favourite. There are too many.”

Jeff scratches under his nose before smoothing a hand over her ribcage.

“I can.”

“What?”

He laughs to himself and smiles a twisted smile, readjusting himself so he can get more comfortable resting beside her.

“When… um, when we first found out that you were pregnant, we were so relieved and happy… and, I mean, those nine months were the most terrifying months of my life but they were also some of the best.” He finds her hand and kisses above her wedding ring, holding it with him for a moment before she nods back at him, happiness reaching her eyes as she remembers something too.

“Do you remember when Sebastian, I don’t know, he must have just started walking or something and we were exhausted but your mom thought we needed a break so we stayed over and she took him for a couple of hours and then--.”

“Oh yeah! And she got really mad at us for--.”

“For falling asleep on the couch? Because she thought we might have… yeah… your mom is weird.”

“I’ll tell her you said that.”

She rolls her eyes at him before letting silence settle. They’re both thinking the exact same thing.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? How most of the good stuff _does_ involve them?”

“Yeah…” She scratches her chin and shakes her head against the pillow behind her.

“I’m not saying nothing good happened before, of course not, but… being married, I mean, we only had two years before we first had Sebastian and those two years we basically just spent thinking _about_ having them.”

Her expression falters then, her eyes glossing over a little. She looks at him with a tremble in her chin.

“Do you think we’re doing a good job?”

He searches her eyes and knows he’s asked himself the same question time and time again. But he knows he’s always _felt_ the same answer; he hasn’t ever said the words out loud, but he’s always assumed in his mind. He kisses her hand again and almost whispers.

“Yeah, we’re doing a good job.”

She nods and smiles but a tear rolls down her cheek and she has to close her eyes for a minute; her hand still held up by Jeff’s lips.

“We’re doing a good job.”

“Mhmm. You know why?” He reassures her even when she inhales in a stuttering breath. When she opens her eyes again, she grins and it pulls one out of him too.

“We’re a good team.”

“Exactly.” He kisses her ring finger once more. “And you want to know what the best moment of my life has been?”

Another onslaught of tears is ready so she bites her lip in preparation. She doesn’t however, prepare for Jeff falling forward onto his face so he can join her in shedding tears.

 _“Oh, baby.”_ She sits up and leans forward to kiss the back of his head. He lifts it and sighs in disbelief at himself, his life; his everything.

“The best moment was when you said you loved me too. And it’s the best moment of every day.”

When he kisses her, her lips taste of tears and salt and sweat and all of her that is real. He can feel every part of her when he rolls them onto their sides. She pulls away and speaks against his jaw.

“Best moment.”


	132. Well I need someone to hold me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A (sort of) prompt from Tumblr about how Jeff felt when George Michael died (in reference to Intro to Political Science in Season 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Title from "Faith" lyrics)

It hits him unexpectedly hard. Even when David Bowie passed among the list of losses he was struck with a sadness he hadn’t been expecting; a sort of dull ache and general lingering sadness because he grew up knowing these names, hearing them on the radio and spinning around on his mom’s record player and even up on the screen in the old theatre which is long closed, now.

Himself and Annie had originally planned to spend the day alone seeing as it’s Christmas and it’s their second one now that they’re in a relationship. They’d spent last year with Britta, skyping Abed and Shirley at different times and welcoming in Frankie, Craig and Chang for an hour towards the end of the evening once they’d finished with their own respective plans.

It seems poignant and almost meaningful that it happens at his mom’s house, where they end up for the day. His mom berates him whenever he gets out his phone to check it out of habit because it’s _the holidays_ and he should be switched off, so after dinner, he sneaks it under the table when Annie’s gone to the bathroom.

He has a valid excuse because it vibrated against his leg with a notification. It’s a small banner across his lock screen, one of those ones which doesn’t tell you the full story, just a short snippet of a news headline or a half a tweet from someone you follow. He knows the name, of course, so he swipes and aimlessly clicks on through the article but finds himself hunched over and unsure of what to say when he leans over his shoulder to call out to his mom.

He'll later realise that she played a big part in why it hurts so much to know someone he never knew or met as gone; passed; died. It’s like a part of their story together has come to an end, like if they just keep on making music and just keep on playing concerts and _just keep on,_ maybe that part of his life will too. The years after his dad left weren’t the easiest of years but they felt lighter and freer and he knows his mom always looks back on them fondly because she knew her son was safe and was finally able to enjoy just being her son and being himself.

“Mom.”

“I’m just preparing dessert, dear.”

“I know but, um, George Michael died.”

“What’s that?” She’s opening and closing the oven so she can’t hear him properly which gives him a bit more time for it to sink in. He swallows hard and breathes out, shaking his head.

“I said, um, George Michael… he, um, he died. Today, actually.”

He laughs when he knows she’s heard him because it doesn’t seem real. He hasn’t been wanting to blame the year on all the devastation but it just doesn’t seem _fair_ that yet another great could be added to the list of names.

 “Oh… oh dear. He was quite young too, wasn’t he?”

And for once Jeff agrees with the statement that someone of his age or older could be classed as young because it’s true, he probably had so much more he could give. If that was the case of Jeff himself, he’d only have ten more years left. Ten more, to do everything.

The sense of stupidity sets in then because it’s not like he listened to his music every day. Sure, he has a CD compilation of some of his greatest hits in his car but Annie’s not the biggest fan so he doesn’t often get to press play on it anymore. It’s just that, when he was younger, he’d held it close. Music was an escape before he found alcohol and sex and all the _adult_ things he hadn’t been brave enough to venture into. He owned a guitar which he etched his name into the back of and the jacket he taped his name to is still shoved in a box in his mom’s attic space or in a closet or maybe the garage, collecting dust.

“I… on Christmas? We were, the song, we were listening to it on the way here. It’s not… that’s not…” He’s shaking his head and he doesn’t notice his mom standing over him until she curls her hand over his shoulder and attempts to soothe him.

“His poor family…” He shakes his head some more because he can’t even get his head around the whole world losing him yet alone his family.

“Do you remember whe--.”

“Jeff, come here, it’s okay to feel upset about it.” She somehow manages to pull him up and let him slump forward into her arms. She’s much shorter than him, a few inches taller than Annie perhaps but it’s still a stretch to hug her without much effort.

“It really is a shame, you know it’s hard when you didn’t know someone personally but they still managed to impact your life. I remember what you used to be like with him.” She rubs her hand up his back and pulls him in closer when she laughs sadly, “It’s upsetting isn’t it?” She pushes him away slightly so she can read his face and she can see that he’s biting down on his teeth and trying not to express too much emotion all at one time. He nods and she laughs again and he falls back into her embrace.

Annie’s finished upstairs in the bathroom but he’s not quite ready to turn around yet, he just feels Doreen lift a hand from him and wave her down the stairs. Jeff wants to stay put where he is even though he can feel his neck straining and he’s way too old to admit that having a hug from his mom in some ways solves everything. She’s still standing even from the hardest years so she’s somebody strong to hold on to and somebody who has seen it all before.

“Is everything okay?”

“Just some sad news that’s all, don’t worry. Dessert will be ready soon.” Jeff blinks hard over his mom’s shoulder because he knows he’s going to have to explain to Annie why his eyes are stinging and red.

“Oh no, is everything okay?”

He steps back then, breathing heavily and wiping his hands down the thighs of his jeans. He bobs his head like it’s nothing.

“George Michael died.”

She parts her lips looks between them both.

“Oh… oh… _today?”_

He pinches his nose and rubs his eyes and laughs inwardly again.

“Yeah and I’m obviously handling it well.”

She keeps looking towards his mom and it makes sense he supposes, seeing as she’d re-entered the room with him huddled against her.

“I’m sorry, that’s sad… on Christmas too.”

They all nod in silence until Doreen goes to check on the oven again, leaving Annie to limply lean against Jeff and hold his hand. He kisses the top of her head when his mom comes over again, tugging the oven mitts off her hands.

“It’s still going to be another few minutes so why don’t you sit down and I’ll just go upstairs and get something, okay?”

Annie doesn’t say much more which is understandable; what more is there to say? So, he spends the five minutes of waiting chewing the edge of one of his fingernails and watching Annie flick through the channels on TV. She pauses hesitantly on a news channel which is displaying a series of pictures and different quotes from George Michael’s past but carries on clicking the buttons on the remote.

“Right, I’ve found something that might lift your spirits or at least remind you of a positive time, Jeffrey.”

“What?” She’s carrying a cardboard storage box down the stairs which can’t be too heavy because she doesn’t usually lift much without attendance anymore, so he raises an eyebrow and draws a blank at what it might be. Once she’s down the stairs she manoeuvres into the living space rather blindly, dumping the box down on the coffee table.

“This is a box I haven’t shown you in a while or even at all for you Annie.”

She pops off the lid and he catches a glimpse of the scrawly writing on the top reading ‘JEFF’S OLD MEMORY BOX’. He sighs and groans into a pillow on the couch.

“Oh shush, look, I thought it would remind you of some of the reasons why you’re upset.” He peers out from under the pillow at Annie who’s grinning at him, glaring with his one unconcealed eye.

“Don’t.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“You’re gonna’.”

His mom has already started taking things out so he decides to sit down and grin and bear it, watching Annie pick different items up from the corner of his eye.

“Oh my… a mixtape? For…” She squints at the writing on the plastic which makes him put a palm to his forehead and stare at his mom, “… _Rosie?_ Huh! The Rosie who you lo-.”

“Yep! But look I still have it so I guess I never gave it to her. Can we please put this bo… Mom. Don’t, please don’t…”

“Is… is that what I think it is?”

“Yes, Annie it’s exactly what you’re thinking it is, just… don’t make this worse. Mom, can you put it away now?”

“Can I look at it?” She’s ignoring him which is possibly even worse than the whole situation put together, but the jacket is in her hands before he can stop it.

“Do you already know something about that one, sweetheart?” Doreen asks.

“Oh yeah, she found out about that _years_ ago.”

“You liked him that much, though, you should celebrate it. It’s a good thing.” She smiles at him and looks at him pointedly in her own way of showing she cares. She slips it around her shoulders and even though it was from a time where his muscles were barely noticeable, it still drapes over her in length.

The sight makes him roll his eyes and sit back because although he doesn’t have to enjoy the process of unboxing his past, he can at least let Annie have a slice of it.

It’s still weighing on him when they leave. It’s been a good Christmas, he can’t forget that. Annie already had her main gift on her birthday so they mainly spent the time unwrapping small gifts like new mugs and DVD boxsets and yeah, when he looks over at her he can look past what feels like it’s missing. She must _know,_ though because she takes the compilation CD from the compartment in her passenger door and unclips it to slide into the player.

She skips it onto Faith immediately and he wants to laugh but instead, all that comes out is a pained cough of a cry. But then she starts singing and mumbling along to the words she doesn’t know and he has to smile through it. He hurts for his younger self for what he’s now lost but he smiles for his present and future self, who get to experience sharing it all with someone who has yet to.

 


	133. You tried to pick me up and hurt your back/lost your grip and suddenly we’re both on the ground in pain

**Post-S6: Prompted by rather-be-free**

They’re in that early stage of their relationship where they just want to try everything and anything together. It’s not just in the bedroom either, it’s just whatever comes to mind - both of them are game. Their enthusiasm must be doubled due to the fact they’d spent so long _not_ doing things together. 

Annie was sure there was a point last year where they could both barely stay in the same room together; Jeff finding hard to deal with his emotions and Annie finding it hard to handle hers. They were like magnets of the same pole, she now realises. Now though, they’re not the same; they’re north and south and all over each other. 

“We should… try…”

Jeff bobs his head, tilting it all the while to get a better angle so he can continue his trail down her neck. They’re pushed up on the wall to the side of his front door; he’d taken her to stock up on some groceries but they’d spent most of the time trying to steal kisses down empty aisles so they both knew what was coming when they opened the apartment door. 

“Yeah… umm… yeah.” 

He’s picked her up before. Countless times now, which makes Annie’s brain go even foggier than it already is in the moment. She can’t even count how many times they’ve done this and it’s barely been three weeks. It sends an unexpected thrill through her that she has to press up against him even further, her ankles curling up around his calves. 

“Maybe you should…”

She tries to direct him into hoisting her up onto his hips but he’s too focused on fumbling around with the back of her blouse where buttons are keeping it fastened at the neck. 

“ _Jeff,_ I can’t…”

She uses her hands in his hair to try and manoeuvre him into a better holding position but he’s a little bit stiff (which makes her glance down, embarrassingly enough), most definitely getting something out of the position _he_ is in, rather than focusing on her. It’s fine, he’s even made it clear he might be off of his game for a while - his hands still shake a little when he goes to undo his belt buckle or when he tries to unclip her bra. She finds it all very endearing, and sweet and it makes her fall in love with him a little bit more. 

She goes to laugh breathily in his hear when his hand tickles up her back but then she leans into his shoulder too far and all of a sudden her tooth is digging into his neck and he’s slamming back down into the carpet. 

“Holy... shit. Okay, well, that just happened.”

Although she was laughing for a different reason originally, it carries on out of her and she can feel him sigh and shake his head from where she’s laying across his chest, her hand squashed between them. 

“Ha haa, very funny.”

She smiles up at him through a wave of hair and her eyelashes. 

“If my hand didn’t feel numb now, you know, this might be an easier position.”

“Who said you have to use your hands.”

“Ohh pfft, like you’re in the mood now. You were saying your back ached after the gym yesterday.”

“I lifted like 310 pounds!”

“Jeff, how much do I weigh?”

“Shut up.”

She kisses him on the chest, pats him in the same place and then rolls off to one side. 

“Go have a cold shower, mister.”


	134. We tried dirty talk for the first time and you sound like a cheesy porn star and I can’t stop laughing now

**Post-S6: Prompted by zacscottysnl**

“You’re my… husband?”

“Yeah, we’ve been married nine years.”

“Why nine?”

“I don’t know, sounds like a good number.”

“…Do we have different names?”

“Yeah, um, something sexy like…”

He raises an eyebrow and pouts down at her in thought.  He’s almost undressed; his jeans are off and his shirt is unbuttoned all the way but they decided to try something different because it’s been a while… Jeff’s been in job interviews and she’s been finishing up exams and finals so it - this, sex - just hasn’t been a top priority. 

“Like… Jake. Michaels. Jake Michaels? Mr Michaels. Yeah, call me that.”

“Mr and Mrs Michaels. Yeah, okay… hmm and what do you do, _Mr Michaels?”_ Jeff tries not to laugh or to let a grin slip through as she purrs at him, playing along, a hand going up his chest. 

“I’m a…” He drops his chin to ask her, out of character, “…what kind of job turns you on? Other than you know, former-lawyer, sexy professor?”

She rolls her eyes and thinks about it briefly.

“Doctor?”

He shoulders slouch in disappointment, but he carries on nonetheless.

“I’m a surgeon, Dr Michaels, and you’re my wife, you’re a…”

“I’m an _assistant.”_ She squints with her eyes, suggestively. 

“ _Oh,_ you’re _my_ assistant.”

 “Mhmm…” This time her hand drops a little lower, her fingers splaying out across his hip and down towards the waistband of his briefs which are pulling across tightly. “What can I assist you with today, Mr Michaels? I think there’s something I haven’t helped you out with in a while.” One of her legs tucks over his own so she can crawl on top of him, her hands bracing on his abs. 

But when she looks down at him all he can do is bring a hand to his face and shake his head into it, scrunching up his nose. She looks concerned at first but then her frown morphs into an amused smile because she’s just as embarrassed as he is, truthly. She bites her lip and twists it into a faux-pout. He’s laughing completely now, his shirt scrunching up around his shoulders as he chuckles. 

“I’m...” He laughs again, leaving her to sigh and roll her eyes, perched on top of him in just her underwear, “...I’m sorry, it’s just, we sound like we’re in some crappy porno you’d find at like, a yard sale.”

“It was _your_ idea!”

“I said talk dirty!”

“Yeah, _dirty_. And then you suggested doing role play so I was like, okay, yeah.”

“Why did I suggest that?”

“I don’t know!”

She slumps forward and the sad look on her face makes him crumble, tugging her down by the bow at the front of her bra. She relaxes against him, his hand smoothing over her shoulder. He kisses the crown of her hair and looks down at their feet; his are at the foot of the bed, with hers curled up by his thighs. 

“We’ll try again another night... you know, we could even _watch_ a crappy porno.”

She turns to look at him, her jaw dropped open. 

“ _Jeff._ Shut. Up.”

He blinks at her slowly and he eventually does but only because she’s sealed her lips over his.


	135. Chapter 135

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I wrote this.

**Post-S6: Prompted by celerylapel**

When Britta’s working late, Jeff will most probably be the only other person in the apartment asides from Annie. It’s the only opportunity they have to spend time alone together without taking it to his apartment, and although he loves that - having her there, having her stay over -, he knows it isn’t the most convenient arrangement with Annie’s schedule so whenever he can, he makes it all a little easier and stays in her too-small-for-the-both-of-them-bed and puts up with being reminded of one of his technically-exes and two of their best friends. 

Tonight they’re on the couch because she’s been done with her work for a while now so watching TV seemed like a reasonable idea as it started to get late. Annie is still awake and seemingly raring to go though, smoothing her hand up the inner seam of his thigh. 

“Do you want me to...?” She bites her lip and smooths her hand up further, getting her point across. He shakes his head a little, questioningly.

“Right now?”

“If you want...” The gleam in her eye tells him she won’t take no for answer like she wants to do this for him. Which is partly true; she feels bad for not always giving him her full attention because of studying and managing a part-time job, so this is just a small gesture from her to him. And if she ends up enjoying it too, then so be it. 

She takes her time with him, making sure he’s ready, so much so that they don’t realise what’s going on around them. Not that anything _really_ is; the apartment is locked and Britta won’t be back until past two AM so there’s nothing to be worried about but when Jeff looks up briefly from where Annie is hovering above him in a gasp, something moving catches his eye. 

And of course, Britta isn’t just Britta. She’s Britta and her three cats which are shut _inside_ the apartment at night time.

“Like that?” Annie asks, her breath tickling his skin.

“Yeah... _god..._ fuck, wait, Annie...”

“Too much?”

He bites his lip and closes his eyes but it’s _still_ there when he opens them again.

“The... can we just... I can’t...”

“You want me to stop?”

“No... I just...” He has to stop because oh yeah, that feels really good and she should never stop just doing that but _the fucking cat._

 _“Annie... oh... f... just..._ I can’t, no...”

She pulls back, resting her hands on his thighs. 

“Jeff, are you okay? Seriously, if you want me to stop I can.”

“No, don’t, just...” He waves a hand to towards the TV, where one of the cats is sat watching. He hopes it’s the blind one. “The cat... I can’t... it feels wrong.”

“You want me to stop... because of the cat?”

He gulps as her hand shifts and sends a jolt of pleasure through him again.

“Maybe?”

“Jeff, what do you think you’re going to do when you get a dog eventually?”

“Not have it in the room when you go down on me?”

She rolls her eyes and swings her legs around to stand up off the couch. He frowns as if he’s done something wrong, wondering if he should clean up and try and resolve whatever issue has now arisen. Instead, he watches her. She walks over to the cat, picks it up in one swoop and slams it behind Britta’s bedroom door before heading to the kitchen to rinse her hands under the sink. 

She returns to his surprise, kissing up his neck but pulling back when she realises he’s not responding.

“What? I had to wash my hands, I don’t know where those cats have been.”


	136. We're all alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic. A World Alone by Lorde. Set during Wedding Videography.

**Wedding Videography: Prompted by zacscottysnl**

The music is still playing inside the marquee; low, the words all muffled, whether that's due to the fact that the tent's plastic-y walls are distorting them or whether it's due to the fact that he's now sat outside, slumped against a tree trunk, his empty glass in hand, Jeff doesn't know. He just knows that the music is still playing, a soundtrack to people dancing and celebrating and talking and being joyous, like he's supposed to be.

He's staring at the cold damp grass in front of him when she walks over, her heels digging into the mud, making her have to balance as she walks.

She joins him, but doesn't slouch. She just sits, smooths out the skirt of her dress and brushes the hair out of her face before looking at him. Really looking at him. He expects her to speak, maybe say something comforting or ask what is clearly wrong but she doesn't. She just stops looking, sits around again and then rests her cheek on his shoulder.

And he tries his hardest not to drunkenly cry.


	137. “What I feel for you terrifies me.”

**S5 AU: Prompted by zacscottysnl**

Annie’s not sure how it happens exactly, emphasis on  _exactly._ One minute they’re reminiscing over Troy because it’s officially been a month since he’s been sailing the seven seas and the next they’re going back down memory lane just for old times’ sake, just for the five of them. 

They’re all outside Jeff’s apartment after having dinner when the topic of Troy arises and because it’s a fairly warm night out for the time of year, they end up sitting on the steps outside of his block, with Shirley stood up on the bottom step, leaning against the railing because she doesn’t want to ‘dirty her skirt’. 

Slowly but surely Shirley becomes tired of standing and it triggers a chain reaction of everyone wanting to leave one by one. Britta says she has a shift at her new bar to get to and Abed has to study for a quiz in the morning so they all leave with their genuine excuses but for some reason, she just shrugs at Abed when he asks if she’s coming and stays put. 

She and Jeff haven’t spent much time alone together since, well, she’s not entirely sure when so, later on, she wonders if that’s the reason she stayed behind; some part of her subconsciously wanting to know if they ever even can again.

Jeff doesn’t stand when everyone else goes to leave so they’re sat side-by-side when they’re left alone. He’s pouting in thought, his hands clasped between his bent legs as he hunches over and she wants to know what he’s thinking; maybe he’s wondering why she’s still there or maybe he’s just letting all of the emotions of the night set in - they’d had fun over dinner, all laughter and playful bickering as usual but it was inevitable that one of them (Shirley) would get teary eyed when the Troy-shaped gap was highlighted. She doesn’t have to ask though because he breaks the silence for the both of them.

“Do you remember Troy and Abed’s moving in party?”

She raises an eyebrow at him whilst he’s not looking, presuming he’s just carrying on with the evening of reminiscence.

“It’s hard to forget.”

“I hit my head on the ceiling fan before I was about to go home.”

Annie lets herself smile at that because she sees him squint in amusement.

“Oh yeah… and I was worried you wouldn’t be able to drive home because I thought you might be concussed.”

He smirks and shakes his head before smiling back at her goofily.

“How would I get a concussion from hitting my head on a ceiling fan?”

“I don’t know… I thought you hit it badly. Or maybe you just acted like you did to get my attention.”

As she soon as she says it she scrunches up her shoulders as if a stiff breeze has passed them even though the leaves on the trees around them are barely moving. She’s so used to him responding badly or taking things the wrong way or too far that she has to prepare herself for brushing it all off and forgetting, especially these days when he barely talks to her at all.

“And why would I do that?” He asks, looking over his shoulder as he continues to sit forward from her. She shrugs, attempting to move the conversation swiftly onwards. Again, he’s one step ahead of her, already on to the next memory that comes to mind.

“I remember  _your_ moving in party. Well, I remember making it into one, by bringing beer.”

“Yeah, thanks so much for the help.”

He grimaces and looks jokingly ashamed for a moment or two.

“I never saw your first place, did I?”

She sighs, realising she hasn’t thought about her cramped little two room apartment in a while.

“I should have moved out  _long_ before then.”

He sits back, his hands going behind them on to the cold expanse of the top step, not bothering to care if anyone decides to leave and walk out whilst they’re sat there.

“You were going to though, right? With Vaughn?”

She hasn’t thought about him in a while, either; there’s been no need to. She let him go from her life years ago, all the way back on that fateful night when she’d kissed the man sitting beside her.

“I guess.”

She can hear Jeff swallow even as a car drives past so she knows what he’s about to say has some thought behind it. They’re tiptoeing around a rather touchy time in both of their lives, one that crosses and intertwines like how their bodies pressed together when Jeff stood forward and responded to her kiss. It scares her a little and it makes her regret not just getting up to go with Abed in the first place.

“Why did you only tell me?”

She knows what he’s referring to of course and luckily the answer isn’t too hard to admit. It doesn’t give much away.

“I knew you wouldn’t judge me.”

He watches her and then lowers his head as if he’s questioning if that assumption is true or not. She wonders what it would feel like to push it further, see how far they can go before he washes it all away; stands up and tells her he isn’t feeling too good or that he’s just remembered he has to call his mom for the first time in a while because otherwise, she’ll be asleep.

“Maybe you would now, though.”

It’s not hard to believe he would, truthfully. It’s not hard to imagine him telling her she’s throwing something away to chase someone who doesn’t love her. It’s not hard to imagine him telling her she should wait until someone better comes around. It’s not hard to imagine him telling her a hundred and one things that are wrong with the person she’s following and how he won’t treat her the right way as if he knows it all. It’s not hard to imagine him thinking he’s well-intentioned, either. It is, however, hard to imagine him asking the next question until he does.

“Why did you kiss me?”

Whilst she’s still lingering onto how he might respond to her moving on from Greendale now, he’s still holding onto that moment and for a second she wants to laugh. She  _wants_ to laugh but she ends up biting her lip and scrunching up her face as tears threaten to form on her waterline. She shrugs a couple of times and goes over different answers in her head, her lips quivering not because of the emotions welling up inside of her but because she’s rehearsing what to say before it escapes her aloud.

“Because…” Her voice is a whisper and he lowers his head, feeling guilty, “…I thought we were on the same page.”

She shrugs again, hopelessly.

“Because… I wanted to.”

She doesn’t want to know what he’s thinking now. She honestly just wants to be free of it all.

“You  _hurt_ me. You kissed me back and you acted like it was nothing and maybe it was to you but you knew it wasn’t for me.” She’s crying now and she doesn’t care. “You never said sorry. You knew I was hurting and you never said sorry. After all this time, you never said sorry.” She takes a shaky breath and whimpers as he tilts his head back, looking up to the sky and his building towering up behind him.

After a while, Jeff mumbles, “I know” and it makes Annie turn away and hold her hand to her face to avoid breaking out into an embarrassing sob. She wipes under her nose before turning back because she’s gone this far; she has to know.

“Can I ask you one question?” He has to say yes, so he nods and lets her ask it, “Did you really regret it? I don’t need you to say sorry now, it won’t fix anything, I just need to know if you really did.”

He’s pouting again but this time it’s different because he’s moving his lips around and chewing on the insides of his cheeks. She’s not sure why she needs to know but she knows one thing for certain; she won’t be able to hold it together whether he says yes or -

“No.”

She closes her eyes again, tight and shut so she can’t let herself cry again.

“What I feel for you  _terrifies_  me, Annie,” Jeff admits, his breath shaky. She can’t see it in the dark light but his eyes are glossing over too. She might have questioned what he’s saying if she’d been more composed but instead, she lets herself understand it, if only to a certain degree.

“I just want us to be normal again.” She breathes out, letting herself fall and lean on his shoulder. He doesn’t hold her close, just rests the side of his chin on her hair.

“Me too.”

And maybe it doesn’t fix anything. But also, maybe it fixes everything.


	138. "You think I’m better than you? You’re better than me!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A variation of the prompt.

**Post-S6: Prompted by zacscottysnl**

When he realises she’s been gone too long for her to have just popped to the bathroom, he excuses himself from the table and scours the rooms and hallways of the bar, his phone in hand just in case, before swinging the back door open to see if she slipped out instead. His instincts are correct but there’s no relief to it because nobody goes to the bathroom and ends up outside for a good reason and usually said person never went to the aforementioned bathroom in the first place.

“Annie?” Jeff calls out, his hand still on the door just in case she’s on the phone or is heading back inside any second. She just hums in response though and wipes a hand across her cheek. He frowns, confused, before joining her, the door clicking shut behind them, the low buzz and mumbles from inside disappearing.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He stands to her side, a little puzzled by the expression on her face; he can only describe it as sad and upset. His hand jumps to her arm, smoothing down it comfortingly like he always does now.

She waves a hand and shrugs his hand off a little, trying to force a smile to break through.

“Nothing, I just came out for some air. It’s stuffy in there.” She nods her head back towards the bar where Britta, Frankie, Craig and Chang are to be found inside. And Bob too because he’s friends with Jeff now. That’s what happens when other people leave; they’re not necessarily replaced, it’s just that other people find their ways to fill in the gaping hole.

“Don’t lie to me.” He says softly, shaking his head, trying to get a real answer.

“It’s nothing.” She drops her chin, looking over to a puddle in the tarmac in front of her, the muddy water mixed with oil leaking from a car, swirling into a strangely pretty pattern of purples and blues. “I’m fine.”

Jeff lets his shoulders fall with a sigh, glancing at the dark sky before stepping forward and placing both of his hands on her this time. He cranes his neck so there’s less distance between them.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did you… get some bad news or something? Tell me.”

“Jeff, I’m fine, okay?”

His grip tightens around the tops of her arms, over the top of her navy sweater that matches with his shirt.

“No, you’re not. You’re stood in the parking lot whilst we’re all waiting for you back there.” He laughs a little, still trying to work out what went wrong, “I’m celebrating. I thought we were having fun?”

“Yeah, I know, you’re celebrating.”

Jeff tilts his head and squints, making her close her eyes as his tightened grip loosens, realising she might have let it slip.

“Annie?”

She smiles but it’s only told hold it in as folds in her lips and bites down before letting a breath go as she exhales shakily.

“I’m,” Her voice breaks and Jeff’s eyes widen, a comical casino game spinning through his mind, waiting for her words to align the ending of her sentence which could have endless outcomes, “jealous.” Tears prick her eyes as she avoids his own as much as she can, “I’m jealous, okay? I’m jealous.”

Jeff’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, confusion still running right through him.

“You're… jealous? Of…? A party? Because, I can throw you one any day, just give me an occasion. I’ll get banners and balloons or whatev-.”

“It’s not that.” She cuts him off, making it clear that she’s not about to explain what it  _is,_ however.

“You’re jealous… of…?” He huffs out and steps back and tries to rack his brain, “You’re jealous of the fact I got my first real job at age forty-three?”

When she doesn’t say anything he rubs a hand across his jaw.

“Wow. I was… not expecting that. It’s funny because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t have gone to all of those interviews. I went to them because I thought, you know what? If I can get just one, I know it will make Annie happy. She’ll be proud of me and I want that. And I thought you were but it turns out… you're… jealous? Annie, what have I got that would make you think that? We literally share the same apartment. We live together. I’m not hiding anything else. I love you.”

In the blurry corner of his eye, he can see Britta open the back door and watch them for a second before walking back in again, letting them be.

“It’s not that,” Annie says, succumbing to having to explain in greater detail. “I just… I guess I realised that I’m not over it. I thought that I was over not having what I wanted. I thought I’d grown, you know? I thought I knew that I was okay with what I have but now I just feel like… that maybe I’ve failed myself or something. And now, you have what you want but… I don’t know if I do. And I  _am_ proud of you. I’m  _so_ proud of you and I’m so happy for you. I feel awful that I’m out here  _crying_ about nothing.”

“Annie, come on, what more could you want? You’re twenty-six, you’re gradu-.”

“I know I am. But you’re not.” She raises her voice a little, trying to argue her point.

“Uh, yeah, I know, I don’t need reminding.”

“That’s not what I mean. You don’t get it. All of my friends, they’re out there getting full-time jobs and starting their careers and starting to think about buying a house and having kids and starting a family and I just feel like I’m not going anywhere. I know things have changed but I still feel like I haven’t followed any of the dreams I used to have.”

Jeff almost wants to rewind then, stop her in her tracks.

“No, no, you’re mistaken. I  _do_ get it, trust me. I’ve been twenty-six for almost two decades. It’s taken me until this week to get a real job that I didn’t lie my way into because when I was your age, I really screwed up. And yeah, maybe this is where it gets a little awkward between us because… I’ve been there, Annie. But, there’s also a positive to that. You’ve  _got_ me. I can help you through it. It sucks knowing there are always going to people out there who seem to have it better than you or who seem to have it all figured out but Annie, from the day I met you, I’ve always thought, wow, this woman has figured out more than I ever will. She knows what she wants and she’s gonna’ get it.”

“And I really hate to say this and I’m  _so_ glad it doesn’t affect us in any other way because I love you but… when you get to forty, you’re gonna look back and realise how young you were. If I could go back and start over when I was your age, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But you’re not gonna have to do that because you’re not going to regret anything and if you do, well, I’m not doing a good enough job. Also, if you ever want to change your mind on things then it’s fine to do that. I wish I’d realised that sooner, too.”

She’s listening intently, nodding when necessary, rolling her eyes and holding back more tears.

“Look, if we cut it even tighter than we are, with this new job, we can get a house in the next two years. It might be small but we could do it. And if you want kids earlier than you thought, then, we can go home now and try. I’ll get my car.”

She rolls her eyes again and he smiles, getting through to her.

“Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I do get it but it’s just… life. You’re gonna’ graduate with your Masters and within a month you’ll be making me pack up my stuff to ship it across the country because you’ve got a job for some fancy forensics organisation.”

She laughs a little sadly as he steps into her space again now that he knows he’s making himself clear and understood.

“You may laugh but guess who was laughing when you said I’d actually get an offer? I couldn’t have done it without you and I’m gonna’ make sure you won’t be able to do it without me either. Although, that’s practically impossible because you could do everything on your own.” Her hands find his but he lets go to lift her chin up with the tip of a finger, “See? Look how good I am at pep talks.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispers, sniffling simultaneously.

“Don’t be. You have nothing to apologise for.”

“I ruined your evening and made it about me.”

“You didn’t ruin anything and it’s not  _my_ evening. Nothing’s just about me anymore. It’s about  _us._ ” He kisses her forehead whilst leaning forward, letting her fall and press her cheek into his chest. “Speaking of which, can we go and have a drink together with the others?” She nods before rising up and hugging him firmly around the neck. He swallows by her ear and closes his eyes over her shoulder before speaking again, low and quiet.

“You have nothing to worry about. You’re always going to outshine everyone, especially me.” He kisses her shoulder as she leans into him even further.

“You know people are going to think I’m only with you for your money now, right?”

He chuckles against the nape of her neck.

“You know you’ve been with me too long when that’s your way of lightening the mood now, right?”

“I’ll never be with you for too long.” Annie breathes out before shaking any other thoughts away by stepping back and straightening herself out.

“Has my makeup run?” Jeff squints to see in the light but just smooths the pad of one of his thumbs under her eye before shaking his head.

“No, you just look beautiful.”

She takes his hand so they can walk back inside to re-join the table. Jeff sits down beside her and swings his arm over the back of her chair and the conversation between the group starts flowing again. Bob flicks up his chin from the opposite side of the booth.

“You guys pop out for a quickie?”

“Nah, I’m a  _classy_ lawyer now.” Jeff wriggles his eyebrows as Annie frowns in disgust.

“Pfft, you’re barely a lawyer now, you’re only a consultant.” Britta spits out.

He shrugs confidently and leans his head against the top of Annie’s as she talks to Frankie to her side.

“Better than nothing.”


	139. I Knew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written in a while - well, technically I have as I have about 5 different on-going WIPs - but this came to mind, so... enjoy :)

**Post-S6**

It happens suddenly; he's overwhelmed and overpowered and he just _knows_ that if he doesn't do it at that exact precise moment then he'll back out and delay it for even longer. He wants to do it, oh, does he want to. He wants to give her everything and more and even if there is still part of him - a big part of him - which fears he'll never be able to provide that, he finally knows that he's at least willing to try.

He can't remember how they got onto the subject but he ended up asking her a question that he'd always pondered over. He asked her why he was the only one she told, all those years ago when she was on the cusp of leaving for a life with another guy, another man, another person (three and thrice being his lucky charm).

"I just… I knew you wouldn't judge me or make me question my decision. I knew you wouldn't make me stay." She'd answered with only a slight hesitance, his arms around her and his chin on her shoulder as they lay in the comfortable quietness of an ordinary and domestic Tuesday night in. There was only a light on in the corner of the room meaning they were cast in shadows and yellow-toned darkness; warm and protected by each other.

"And then almost six years later, you didn't tell me because you knew I would." He'd responded mindlessly, feeling almost remorseful as he played with her hands which were clutched up against her chest. She didn't add anything partly because it was the truth but partly because there was no reason to say anything more. It was in the past and there was nothing either of them could do to change it. He'd huffed out a sigh and smoothed his thumb over her ring finger.

"We really did a number on each other, huh?"

"I wouldn't change it, though." She replied, almost whispering.

They lay silently, his thumb still brushing over her skin in a pattern that made her eyes flutter close in relaxation. He'd looked at her hand and then to the profile of her face, really looking at her intently and with focus, almost trying to work out whether what was going through his mind in the moment, would slot into what was going through hers, or not.

He'd dropped his hand to the sheets that were covering them before sliding back to his side of the mattress.

"I'm just gonna' go to the bathroom."

"Okay."

He left, leaving the bedroom door open marginally before turning into the small closet in the hallway, patting down one of his jackets which hung on a rail without trying to cause too much noise or rustling. He found what he was looking for, flicking open the velvet box he'd pulled out of one of the pockets before taking out the ring which sat inside the padded interior.

He doesn't want to lie about going to the bathroom which is where he currently finds himself, standing over the sink, staring at himself in the reflection of the mirror. He can feel his heart pounding against his chest and he knows that when he lays back down beside her, it's the first thing she'll notice because that's the sort of thing she picks up on. And maybe she'll notice him gritting his teeth, too, and the fact that he's forcing his eyes to stay wide and open.

He blows out sharply before swallowing deeply as all of the comments and suggestions of the past few months - well, the past year, really - flood into his mind.

 _"Why don't you just marry her, already?"_  
_"So, when are you going to propose?"_  
 _"Are you gonna' do it on her birthday or something?"_  
_"I don't see why you don't just ask her to marry you, it's been like two years."_  
_"It's not like she's going to say no."_  
_"I'll be so proud and happy when you finally do it, Jeffrey."_

Perhaps he would have waited if nobody had ever said anything but none of that really matters or influences his decision because he's doing it now whether he or anybody else, like it or not. Maybe it won't be the grand gesture other people would go along with. Maybe it won't be what Annie had envisioned for the day she'd finally get engaged. But this is it for him; the moment he thought he'd be able to avoid but knew deep down he's always wanted.

He takes several more deep breaths, the ring tightly pressed into the palm of his clenched up fist. It digs into his skin and it's a reminder that this isn't one of his dreams where it all goes wrong, this is real and Annie could walk in at any moment because she's concerned as to why he's taking so long or because she just wants to use the bathroom herself, and seeing as they've reached the door-open stage of their relationship - and possibly, if the next five minutes of his life go according to plan, the engagement stage -, it wouldn't be that big of a deal for her to do so.

He's not entirely sure why but he finds himself briefly looking up to the ceiling, as if he's taking a small bit of courage from a higher power he's not even sure is there before quickly flushing the toilet as a cover and making his way back to the dimly lit bedroom, finding Annie smiling back up at him, completely unaware.

He lays back down, tucking himself back under the duvet and curling himself around her like he had been before, his hand returning to its same spot, just with his fingers folded inwards. It's lame as soon as he opens his mouth but this is it. This is lame Jeff Winger who could and never will care about anything more than how much he cares about her. He pushes the ring to his fingertips so it's concealed by only his thumb.

"Do you wanna' do the biggest number on each other, that's possible?"

He slides the ring so it's visible to her and he smiles despite himself because he knows now that there was only ever going to be one answer.

"Will you marry me?"


	140. “SO… you think I’m hot?”

**Prompted by[loosey-goosey](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/169501046835)  
Late S3 - Post Course Listing Unavailable **

“Man, sometimes I really regret not realising how hot Annie is, earlier.” Troy blurts out, holding his beer bottle just away from his lips so he can take another swig once he’s finished speaking. Jeff frowns and watches him as they stand at the side of the pool - Pierce’s pool - as everyone relaxes behind them, the water only slightly splashing at the edges as it comes to a smooth and calm stillness without being disturbed. 

Seeing as Annie isn’t nearby and seeing as it’s Troy he’s speaking to, Jeff responds.  _It’s_ Troy,  _he can talk to Troy about this stuff._

“I  _did_ tell you.”

“Obviously I’m into Britta now,” Troy turns to look at Jeff as if to assure him so he doesn’t get the wrong idea, “but, man, if I’d just realised when I was in high school…”

Jeff smiles tightly, looking down at his flip-flop covered feet. 

“You get it, right? Of course you do, _duh-doy._  Like you said, you told me. You’re into Annie. You guys are  _totally_ into each other.”

Jeff’s smile is slowly starting to morph into a grimace as he continues to stand there. It’s fine; he’s becoming more resilient to those sorts of comments as time goes on and as he becomes closer to Annie by the day. He’d just rather not have those sorts of thoughts and these sorts of conversations when he’s already having to deal with watching Annie swim around in a two-piece swimsuit and being asked to rub sunscreen into her shoulders when nobody is looking. 

“You are right? You’re into her? I wasn’t reading you all wrong when you  _kind_ of gave me the go-ahead to, you know, give me and Britta a shot.”

Jeff shrugs, finishing off his beer. 

“Sure, yeah, whatever.”

“But if  _I_ find Annie hot that basically means the whole of Greendale does, too. So…”

There’s some movement behind them, the sound of a sun lounger moving as, unknowing to the both of them, Annie stands and stretches out, walking in their direction.

“So…? I already said, Annie’s hot, sure… you can date Britta. The world is your oyster, Troy.”

She pauses a few metres away, straightens and pulls her ears back like a cat as she hears her name. It takes her moment to work out how to react but in the end, she finds herself trying to avoid smiling - or blushing; she’s probably blushing - too hard. Then, she shakes her head, pushes her sunglasses up onto her hair and walks her way over to Troy. 

Once she’s beside them, they’ve stopped talking to just continue staring at the water rippling in front of them.

“Hey… Troy? Is there any chance you could go get me some lemonade from inside? I’d really appreciate it.” She dips her chin and uses her smile to persuade him - as well other assets but she wouldn’t ever want to admit that. He rolls his eyes before stepping forward.

“Sure, Jeff was kinda’ bumming me out, anyway.”

Jeff tilts his head at that, frowning in confusion, the muscles straining in his neck visible with no shirt on. He watches Annie take Troy’s place; oblivious.

“So… you think I’m hot?” She asks outrightly. 

He blinks a couple of times and starts to rock on the balls of his feet, now knowing he’s been caught out.

“Are you trying to make me uncomfortable?”

“You seemed pretty comfortable admitting it to Troy.”

“That’s because it was Troy.”

“Oh, so you can’t admit to my face?”

He stares down at her with a smirk. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t push my luck, I should be grateful I heard you say those words at all.”

He shakes his head, facing forward again. 

“You really need me to say it?”

“It’d be nice to see you try.” Annie says, a little smugly. 

She makes him laugh with that, matching her smile with an even bigger, goofier one. 

“Fine.” He inhales and then turns his head down towards her, “I think you’re hot …and sexy and sometimes I find it hard to be in the same room as you.” He catches himself by surprise, meaning he has to look out at the garden on the other side of the pool, “Or, poolside, anyway.”

“I wasn’t fishing for that.”

“It was nice to see me try though, right?”

They both watch each other then, the rise and fall of their chests clearer than ever and the flush from Annie’s cheeks spreading to other places that make it very hard for Jeff to hide where his eyes are wandering. 

Troy’s still nowhere to be seen so Annie knows she won’t be saved from this anytime soon (whether she really wants to be is another question) so when she starts to feel his eyes burning her skin hotter than the heat of the summer sun, she takes a deep gasp for air. 

“We should probably not be near each other today now, right?”

Jeff nods rapidly, turning abruptly whilst stuffing his hands in the pockets of his shorts. 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s probably for the best.”

“Right.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Troy finally makes his irritatingly timed appearance, handing Annie her lemonade. 

“I’m pretty sure this might have alcohol in it because it was right next to a vodka bottle and it kinda stinks but then I thought maybe that’s what you wanted? But we haven’t even had lunch yet so I wasn’t really sure but if you want me to get you something else then I ca-.”

“That’s fine.” Annie takes the glass from his hand and gulps it back in one go.


	141. “Why didn’t you call me?”

**Prompted by[zacscottysnl](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/169443029370)  
Season 6**

“…and then my car broke down near Recherche and I didn’t know what to do because it’s almost midnight, so I just ended up walking home  _hence_ why I’m absolutely exhausted today.”

“Recherche is my area, why didn’t you call me?” Jeff perks up, letting his phone fall from his fingertips onto the surface of the study room table. 

Annie’s lips part as she glances around the table, noticing everyone listening in. 

“I… I don’t know because it was late. I thought you might be busy and I didn’t want to disturb you. Plus, you know, I wasn’t really thinking about who was nearby, I was just thinking about whether my car was officially dead or not.”

“What makes you think I would be busy on a Thursday night?” Jeff asks again, turning himself even further in her direction. 

“Previous experience, maybe?”

“What? When have I ever been busy when you’ve needed me?”

Annie doesn’t miss the way Britta raises her eyebrows and bites down on her lips, enjoying their conversation far too much and far too openly. The same goes for Chang as he rubs his hands together at the far end of the table. 

“Um… when… the Dean and I needed you to put up flyers last week?”

“That’s not fair, the Dean was involved, what do you expect?”

“You said you still had time left for your office hours but then once you’d walked away, I checked the time and realised your office hours were over by half an hour. I tried to find you again but you’d driven off back home.”

“The flyers got put up, didn’t they?”

“You’re not really backing yourself up here, Jeff, you’re just proving my point that you’re not always around when I need you or when I specifically  _ask_ for you.”

Jeff pauses and tilts his head, chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

“I’m going to say this for everyone else’s sake and leave you two to sort out whatever personal issue you have going on here; the meeting is adjourned.” Frankie interrupts as she stands and pushes her chair in, collecting her belongings as everyone else in the room follows suit. 

Annie stays seated, her arms crossed and her lips pointed into a stern expression. Once everyone has left, Jeff stretches an arm out, across the seat to his left. 

“I’m not trying to back myself up. Or, actually, maybe I am. I’m trying to back myself up by saying the  _next_ time your car breaks down in my area, which let’s be real is probably fairly likely, or the  _next_ time you need me, all you gotta’ do is call.”

He finally stands, scooping up his phone before leaving. 

It’s strange; things have been even tenser between them lately and not in the satisfying sense. Not in the, ‘I don’t really mean it, I’m just playing with you but it’s fun to see you try to fight back’, kind of way. It’s in the, ‘We both understand what’s happening here but neither of us wants to admit’, kind of way. 

She definitely won’t be the one to admit it because that’s the whole point of this. If she was going to admit it, she’d tell him he didn’t call because she doesn’t want to rely on him anymore. She doesn’t want to be so completely involved and entangled in his life anymore. She wants to call someone else; she wants to let him be. Let him  _go._

“Wait a minute, now I remember.” He turns on his heel, pointing his phone in her direction but never looking her way, “The last time your car broke down, you called me and… I was hooking up with someone, I was at a bar or something and I was drunk. Is that what you still think of me?”

She rolls her eyes. 

“I haven’t thought about that since it happened which obviously means you felt worse than I did about it because you can still remember it in detail.”

“Whatever. Just…” He shakes his head and is about to forget about it and move on but he ends up surprising himself, “…sometimes I’m not so much of an asshole as you think I am.”

She takes a deep breath once he’s clearly out of sight, staring up at the lights above her head, trying not to cry because they’ve reached that stage now - fake insults and fake fights about inconsequential things. Of course she doesn’t think of him as an asshole and of course,  _he_ doesn’t think that she thinks he is, it’s just… hard to keep a balance, right now. 

If they can’t keep a balance of peace and harmony then they may as well as keep one of hurt feelings and anger, rather than something in the middle where it’s a muddle of confusion and a gigantic blurred line sat right between them.


	142. "What are you doing?””Hiding.”

**Prompted by[celerylapel](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/169421504925)  
Post-S6**

They’re at the airport, standing outside of departures, Jeff rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with Sebastian walking around him in circles. 

Annie’s due to walk through the doors within the next five minutes and even though he’s done this dozens of times before, Jeff can’t help but fiddle around with his phone and impatiently flick his eyes around the room, not knowing what to do with himself as he waits. 

A flood of passengers start coming through then, so he looks down to check on Sebastian over his shoulder, finding him clinging to the backs of his legs like a chimp. 

“What are you doing?”

“Hiding.” He squeals, tightening his grip on his dad’s jeans.

“From Mommy?”

“Yep.”

“As a surprise?” He feels Sebby nod against his legs as he turns around and straightens up, scouring the crowds. Jeff’s almost about to send a text to check whether there’s been a delay with her luggage or not but there’s no need because Annie comes waltzing out, suitcase in tow. 

He would usually step forward and meet her half-way but Sebastian is staying put so he just flicks up his eyebrows when she catches his eye and matches her happy grin. Her eyes cast downwards once she’s right there in front of him but she doesn’t say anything, she just puts her bags to one side and lifts herself up into a hug, kissing the side of Jeff’s neck.

“Hey, sweetie.”

“Hey.”

Even though he’s felt it once before, he’s still not used to the slight distance between them, caused by her now visible bump which as she explained over a video call last week, has most definitely popped whilst she’s been away. 

She steps down and opens up the front of her blazer. 

“Look, the buttons don’t even do up, now.”

He laughs and puts an arm around her, kissing her temple.

“By the way, I don’t know where Sebby’s go-.”

“I’m here!!” He jumps out, dashing to Annie’s side to cling on to her before reaching up and patting her bump.

“Oh my goodness! I had no idea! I thought you’d stayed at home  _all_ by yourself.”

“Nope.” 

They all laugh before Jeff scoops him up in one arm, taking Annie’s case with the other hand. 

“Alright, we can do cuddles and everything when we’re home because it’s late and you need to go to bed.”

“No, I don’t.”

“I’m  _pretty_ sure you do, bud.”

“Well, maybe if you’re super duper well behaved, you can go in Mommy and Daddy’s room tonight.” Annie suggests, walking beside them. Jeff raises his chin over Sebastian’s head, pulling a face at her. 

“Uhhh… how come and I don’t get a say in that?”

“Because I’m carrying your unborn child so it’s kind of my word against yours for the next few months.”

“No fair.”

“I’ll make it worth your while.”

“You better.”

She winks and walks ahead through the exit, leaving Jeff to shake his head and imagine all of the things that could mean. 


	143. “What if I say no?”

**Prompted by[Anonymous](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/169401315965)  
Somewhere around post-S3 and S4**

“What if I say no?” He asks, leaning up against his car, his arms folded. 

“Then… I’ll hate you for a while and only forgive you when I eventually make you do something else to make up for it?” She shrugs in that way that makes her look even smaller than she is, all scrunched up shoulders and a tight little smile that shows she knows he’s already made up his mind and is going to say yes, anyway. 

“So, even if I don’t do it, you’ll like me again eventually?” He raises an eyebrow and leans forward into her space by a few inches. She rolls her eyes and tilts her head. 

“You always ask that when I’m asking you to do something for me. Of course, I’ll like you again… I’ll just like you a whole lot more if you do it straight off the bat.”

He drops his questioning expression and his sarcastic smirk and takes her in more seriously but obviously takes too long to respond for her liking, prompting her to ask him just  _one_ more time. 

“Please?” She pouts, doll-eyed and put on, pulling at his heart-strings that only she knows are inside of him somewhere. 

He takes a deep breath, nods, steps forward and replies.

“Fine.” His breath tickles against her forehead before he swoops down even lower and presses a kiss to her hairline, “Just don’t tell anyone.”. 

She bites her bottom lip and stays put until he’s climbed into his car and has shut the door behind him. 


	144. “You have a picture of me? On your fridge?”

**Prompted by[Anonymous](http://harryspaceshipmchale.tumblr.com/post/169401315965)  
Post-S6**

She’s showing him a tour of her shared apartment in DC, now that she’s made her little slice of it feel a bit more like home - a temporary one, that is -, wandering around with a phone in hand, flipping from front to back camera so she can talk to him more directly from time-to-time. The tour is short and to be honest, he’s seen most of it already through pictures but he lets her carry on rambling nonetheless as she finishes up, sat on a barstool in the tiny kitchenette.

It catches his eye when she shifts in her seat, the front camera showing a sliver of the view behind her. 

“You have a picture of me? On your fridge?”

She seems a little confused at first until she turns around to look at the all-important fridge, shaking her head before facing her phone again. The call cuts out for a split second, leaving her in a messy blur before it reconnects. 

“Oh yeah, my roommate said I could do whatever… and it’s not just you, I have a postcard from Abed on it, too. Plus, that’s from our last Skype call. I don’t know… I thought it was sweet… and it’s a good reminder to pick up the phone because I’ve been so busy. I wasn’t around last week but, here I am!”

“I’m  _that_  hard to remember, huh?”

Even though she’s a blur of pixels, he doesn’t miss her eyes rolling. 

“No… I just… you know me.” She shakes her head and waves a hand in the air, “If you find it weird, I can take it down.”

“It’s fine… really, I should be flattered.”

“Hmm… plus, you can’t talk ‘Mr I-Have-A-Newspaper-Clipping-Of-That-Time-We-One-A-Debate-In-My-Office’.”

He scratches the underside of his chin before speaking up again.

“Yeah…”

She laughs faintly, running her free hand across her face in tiredness. The next thing he says comes out his mouth without much thought, probably because the internet and their phones and the distance make things seem a little less daunting these days. 

“You never said anything about that.”

She watches him before looking away towards her roommate’s door which is locked shut, music filtering through the cracks and space between the floor. 

“I guess… I didn’t really want to start thinking about what it meant.”

He’s nods, knowing he’ll probably mull over her words in more detail, later on. 

“Probably a good job you didn’t, then.”

She huffs out another faint laugh which is practically a sigh. 

“Probably.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the recent prompts! Just FYI - I'll probably be closing "It's Called Chemistry" at 150 chapters just because it's becoming a bit ridiculous now. I guess I'll just start another story and add them all in there.


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